Day Fifty-Two - Rome

Today we spent six hours touring the Vatican City including the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica. When we returned to the apartment we were a little weary!
It only took us twenty minutes to walk to the Vatican City which is the world’s smallest nation covering just fifty hectares with five hundred and fifty citizens headed by the Pope. We mistakenly walked to St Peter’s Basilica and had to retrace our steps for about a kilometre around the city’s wall to get to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The line-up at a quarter to nine was already long and three to four abreast. Thankfully, the on-line tickets arranged by Brian meant that we walked right past the waiting throng and through security to start our tour. We hired audio guides to talk us through the different areas.
The highlight was obviously the Sistine Chapel. We were able to get a seat on the side wall and sit for about half an hour taking in Michelangelo’s masterpiece with the help of the audio guide. It was very busy but as it was still early in the day the guards were not pressuring anyone to move on which they apparently do. The Sistine Chapel is the Pope’s chapel and it is where the Cardinals meet to elect a new pope. In the old days when a vote wasn’t successful straw was put onto the ballot papers to make black smoke. These days a chemical is added.
The Vatican Museum is extensive and covers a vast range of time periods including Etruscan, Greek, Roman, and the Middle Ages. The Raphael Rooms where Raphael decorated Julius II’s apartments between 1508 and 1524 are very impressive. The audio guides were very useful in explaining each of the paintings.
We had a pizza lunch at the museum and after going past countless souvenir shops we emerged to find hundreds and hundreds of people in two directions lining up. It was unbelievable and many must have spent hours slowly moving forward to the entrance. We were doubly pleased Brian had bought the tickets online!
We walked past the very long line back to St Peter’s Basilica. By this time it was raining and we lined up with everyone under umbrellas. The hawkers were doing well selling their umbrellas. The line moved very quickly and we were soon inside and immediately came across Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’. It is unbelievable that Michelangelo carved this masterpiece when he was a mere twenty-five years old. It has been protected by glass since 1972 when a man screaming, “I am Jesus Christ!” attacked it with a hammer, damaging the Virgin’s nose and fingers. Needless to say the crowed around the statue was very deep but we eventually made it to the front to have a closer look and take a photo.
After having an afternoon rest I ventured out in our neighbourhood and did some grocery shopping for dinner. I made “breadcrumb mental notes” in my head of where I was going to retrace my steps so I wouldn’t get lost. I returned to last night’s little café and bought half a dozen little cakes as they as irresistible.
Tomorrow may be the Colosseum.
Photos: ‘Pieta’ by Michelangelo; Henk in front of Bernini’s huge bronze altar canopy at St Peter’s Bascilia; Inside Vatican Museum on the way to the Sistine Chapel; Ancient Roman mosaic tiled floor.