I don't really know how I managed to fluke this, but I timed my arrival to St Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) quite perfectly. I'd stopped on the way from the train station to give Aunty Ann a call (being Welsh she was in almost the same time zone as me, and I'd get in trouble if I didn't call), and arrived at the piazza just as the various groups of guards were doing their little march past. I snapped a couple of photos, found the way through the gates, and headed for the front of the piazza. Basically, there's a space under the balcony for the Swiss Guards, followed by a seated area, a fenced off gap for the march past, and then the crowds. The gazillions of people, just like me, who all wanted to see the pope wave his hands and ramble on. Somehow, despite all of those people, I ended up as the third person back behind the fencing. I was also right in front of a big screen, so I had the perfect view of things (that is, when the blonde, Amazonian woman in front of me swayed left and I went right, or vice versa).
We stood around for quite a while waiting for the big guy to appear, and quite a roar went up when he did. Needless to say, I didn't understand more than a few random words, but it was a good experience all the same. He gave a blessing (I assume) in what I think was just about every language, including Esperanto. It was like he was some kind of rock star, the way people carried on. I don't really get the fascination with him myself, although I suppose it doesn't help that I was more a fan of JP2 than of Benny, but anyway.
After he'd finished his somewhat short appearance, the crowds began to disperse. I hung around the front for a bit to snap a few pics, then wandered back to the nativity scene, before exiting the piazza on a search for something to eat. Christmas Day, and what do I have for lunch? Pizza, of course! I didn't pay by the slice either - I paid by weight. You tell them how much pizza you want, they cut it, weigh it, you pay for it. And the pizza was gooooooood. I then turned back into the piazza, sat down for a spot of people watching while lunch settled down, and then went into the Basilica di San Pietro. It was yet another opportunity to get a crick in my neck and to marvel at the sheer opulence of the place.
I spent quite a while wandering around the basilica. The big red circle on the floor is where Charlemange and later Holy Roman Emperors were crowned by the pope. I took stacks of photos, far more than I'm putting up here. I saw the high altar, where the only person who can say mass is the pope, and St Peter is reportedly buried underneath it. I also saw the 13th century bronze statue of St Peter, with the worn down foot that has been touched by thousands of pilgrims (thanks for the info on that one, Lonely Planet!).
This photo was taken directly below the balcony. You can see the fence at the back of the seats - that's where I was.
After I left the basilica, I headed down the street towards Castel Sant' Angelo. It wasn't open, so I wandered through the markets, somehow found myself in Piazza Navona, and figured I'd have dinner before heading back to Termini for my shuttle. Another lovely day filled with wandering and discovering - and once again I was shattered.
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