Leyte (CVA 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q ALTERNATELY PEACEFUL AND WARLIKE Over its 2700 years of recorded history, Rome now Stands as the center of Catholicism. Deriving its name from the legendary Romulus, the Eternal City has been home to pagan despot as well 35 papal prince. Present-day Rome has inherited a rich legacy of architecture and sculpture from the early cen- turies. This legacy has been enhanced by the works of Michelangelo in the sixteenth century and Bernini in the seventeenth century. The net result is a wonderland of painting, sculpture, and architecture that leaves the tourist awestruck. The preservation and restoration of the ruins of an- cient Rome tell a graphic story of the political and military contests that raged along the banks of the River Tiber, some of the combatants going as far as the south- ern shores of the Mediterranean for their conquests. Others pierced the heart of the continent to attain their share of the spoils of victory. ' The impressive, but at times gaudy remembrances of the reign of Mussolini recall the spirited political re- growth of the Italian nation in the last two decades. A stroll down Via del Corso Umberto causes the stroller to realize that all of the splendor of Rome does not come from the past. An electrified transportation system, modern office buildings, innumerable shops, and excel- lent hotel facilities make the city built on Seven Hills the leading metropolis of the Mediterranean. The Vatican State, a city within a city, occupies ap- proximately 100 acres of ground' in the heart of Rome. Its location is unmistakably fixed by the towering cupola of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world. The Vatican is also the official residence of the Pope, Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and spiritual ruler of approximately 425,000,000 Catholics. V THE VATICAN MUSEUM contains perhaps the finest collection of art treasures in the world. Price- less paintings, fine laces and embroidery, historical documents and manuscripts, all lend to the apprecia- tion of the glorious past of the Eternal City. Ten museum halls are devoted to the paintings of the mastersg an additional seven museum halls exhibit the work of the world's Hnest sculptors. Adjacent to the Vatican Museum, but not pictured here, is the widely reknowned Sistine Chapel, the ceil- ing of which was frescoed 'by the immortal Michel- angelo. Leyte Sailors lower left, await an audience with Pope Pius XII while at lower right, one of Uncle Sa1n's ambassadors to the Vatican QD. P. Hammond, AF2j checks his camera with a colorfully uniformed member of the Swiss Guard, the Vatican military force