Peeping the Pope

One of the most quirky tourist attractions in Rome is the view of St Peter’s Duomo through the keyhole in the gates of the church of Santa Maria del Priorato [Source]. The church belongs to the Knights of Malta, a Catholic religious order. Tourists stand in a long queue in the hot sun for a 30 second chance to march up to gates and peer through. When you peep, you see the edges of a cloister and the Duomo in the distance (Extra Photo).

I was drawn there too, but I got my sorry self out of bed to visit at dawn without the crowd … only to find a guided tourist party roll up behind me in the gloom as I was attempting my first shot.  The guide explained, while they patiently waited for me to move off (yeah, right!), that this had only really become a thing to do when the internet arrived.

So there you have it … the internet herds us sheep from around the world to much greener pastures.