"Off to our right is the great broad
city of Rome, with its mass of buildings and ruins collected there
during all the long centuries. Farther than we can see on the
left are the Tuscan hills, and winding down before us in the distance
is the old Tiber; but here at our feet, established upon the
ruins of an empire is the remarkable palace. It is the greatest
palace in the world in its material proportions. The enormous
extent of its mass of buildings may be estimated, perhaps, by noticing
those specks of human forms in the square beyond the palace to the
right. It is only in some such way that we can hope to
appreciate the statement that the palace is 1151 feet long, 767 feet
wide, that it contains 8 grand staircases, 200 smaller ones, and 20
courts.
That tiled roof nearest us down at the right, with its lighting rod at
the end, is the roof of the Sistine Chapel, built in 1473 by Sextus
IV. The nearest corner of the main palace, whose roof is
slightly raised above that of the long building attached to it,
contains the most famous picture galleries. That long left-hand
portion of the palace with blinds shut to exclude light, contains on
the lower one of its two main floors the gallery of the Library.
That is the longest room in the world, extending nearly the entire
length of the palace - a distance of over 1000 feet. To the left
of the mass of buildings the larger gardens of the Vatican
begin. In the hot, stifling days of the long Italian summer the
Pope finds rest and vigor in this enchanting spot.
Those rows of buildings in the distance, next to the open field, are
barracks for the Italian soldiery. The field is a parade and
drill ground."
Extracts from Rome through the Stereoscope, by D. J. Ellison, D.D.
with special "keyed" maps locating each successive
standpoint and identifying all important landmarks: published by Underwood &
Underwood.
The great Pontifical Palace, the Vatican,
- Rome,
Italy.
