Site-seeing in Virtual Rome

January 4, 2011 10:54 AM

Villanova University, who first made the VR Tour of the Sistine Chapel, have made more of the Vatican’s most sacred sites virtually available online: the basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John Lateran, and St. Mary Major, as well as the Pauline Chapel. Bonus: smaller panoramas from other historic Roman sites, but you'll have to deal with tourists.
posted by filthy light thief (12 comments total)

Delving into the MeFi archives, there were early, tiny panoramas covered previously. It's interesting to see the difference in less than a decade, from 2003 web-ready panoramas to the current full-screen, 360° views.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:57 AM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

Eh, I'll just wait until it's finished in Minecraft.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 11:07 AM on January 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

Why is it that every time I go to other countries and visit the local attractions there are always tourists there?

Damn tourists.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:41 AM on January 4, 2011

Thanks for posting this filthy light thief.
posted by martin10bones at 12:41 PM on January 4, 2011

I wonder what Jesus would have done with all that wealth?
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:10 PM on January 4, 2011

Bought a boat.
posted by yerfatma at 1:19 PM on January 4, 2011

I wonder what Jesus would have done with all that wealth?

Spent it on perfume for his feet.
posted by Jahaza at 2:33 PM on January 4, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ah Roma! Grazie mille!
posted by cool breeze at 2:40 PM on January 4, 2011

Jahaza:
I wonder what Jesus would have done with all that wealth?

Spent it on perfume for his feet.

Judas
Cath'lics, your fine buildings
Lavish and expensive
Should have been saved for the poor
Why has it been wasted?
We could have raised maybe
Millions of Euro or more
People who are hungry
People who are starving
Matter more
Than your frickin' ridiculous buildings!

Jesus
Surely you're not saying
We have the resources
To save the poor from their lot?
There will be poor always
Pathetically struggling
Look at the good things you've got!
Towers of purest gold
(That's not quite true, I'm told)
You'll be lost
You'll be so sorry
Without fancy buildings!
posted by filthy light thief at 3:46 PM on January 4, 2011

Judas
Christ, you're self-centered.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:47 PM on January 4, 2011

This is great, panorama's have an immersion quality that is uniquely like being there in person. Though you have to pretend your in a wheelchair with one wheel locked.

Question for anyone who might know about Vatican trivia. What do they do with all those chapels? Each building has 2 or 3 in the wings, plus a big one in the center. There must be dozens or even 100s of chapels in Vatican city.
posted by stbalbach at 8:32 PM on January 4, 2011

stbalbach, looking over Wikipedia pages for the four major basilicas (St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major), they each have their own historic reasons. St. Peter's is near the burial site of, you guessed it, Saint Peter, just as was St. Paul Outside the Walls is the site of the burial of Saint Paul. The Basilica of St. John Lateran was first a Roman fort, then part of it became the palace for the gens (Roman family unit) Laterani, and then a basilica was built next to the palace, and the whole thing was dedicated to Jesus and two (Saint) Johns. The Basilica of Saint Mary Major was one of the first basicilicas dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and possibly an attempt to make Rome the center of the (Christian) world.

Fun fact: This travel review site says that there are over 900 churches in Rome.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:08 PM on January 5, 2011