The Vatican

The sun was shining bright as we left the hotel to catch the #5 streetcar and A train to arrive at The Vatican.  The local guides were upon us as we got close to the Vatican Museum entrance.  They wanted $50 to get us priority entrance and a guided tour.  We once again took advantage of the Rick Steves audio guide and using our blue tooth earphones were able to negotiate the Vatican Museum at our pace and get a very well scripted tour.  The line to get into the museum was not very long.  After all, it was not the height of the tourist season.  This made the visit even more enjoyable.  No crowds.

The Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum has probably the largest collection of ancient Roman statuary in the world.  These artifacts were unearthed over the centuries and acquired by a number of popes.
The museum was once a papal palace and sections of it are now dedicated to various art forms.

Roman Emperor Augustus

Roman Mosaic Tile

Hercules and Telephos

After roaming among the Romans, we began our walk down the lengthy corridors with their elaborate murals and ceilings.  We made a detour to the Egyptian collection before heading on to the numerous other galleries in this vast maze.

Ceilings Vatican Museum

Raphael - The Artist - Looking at You

Of course the highlight of the tour was the Sistine Chapel.  No photos were allowed and the restoration has brought back the brilliance of the art.  We were very lucky to find a seat along the chapel wall to get some rest for our tired legs.  Once again, the Rick Steves audio tour gave us an extensive description of what to look for as we craned our necks to view the ceiling and high walls.

Sphere Within Sphere

After hours in the museum, we walked around the Vatican's outer wall until we arrived at the spacious square in front of St. Peter's Basilica.  This massive plaza is actually not square but elliptical.  Thousands of people easily fit into this vast space.  We stood in line for approximately 15 minutes waiting to get through security.  While we waited, we once again listened to a Rick Steves audio tour to learn about St. Peter's.  The interior is beyond description sufficient to create a visual image of the size and beauty of this immense place of worship.  Pictures hardly do it justice.

Saint Peter's Entrance

Saint Peter's Main Alter

Swiss Guards

We ended the day with a light dinner at an eatery not far from the hotel.  Pasta and beer.  We were in bed early since we had to catch a cab and bus to get to the airport for our 7:30 flight to Morocco.