We had signed up for a guided tour of the Vatican, so Saturday morning we met our group outside this gate. As we walked right up to the entrance, we looked at all the poor schmucks waiting in a massive line that snaked through a square and continued down the street. I'm guessing they had to wait at least 3 hours to get into the Vatican, and it was already shaping up to be a hot day. Brad and I were so glad we had tickets for the "skip the line" tour!
Brad in front of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
Pigna Courtyard - so named because of the giant bronze pine cone statue.
This archway looks like it is about 2 feet deep, but it is actually flat. It was just painted to trick your eye.
This is a statue of a runner. He is supposedly using a tool to scrape the dirt and sweat off his arm after a big race. The tool is missing, but it was in the shape of the Nike swoosh, curved to fit around the arm.
The sculpture of Laocoön. This was a big influence on later Renaissance sculptors.
This is from ancient Greece. I think the guide told us that the sculptor is unknown, but this inspired the strong, athletic sculptures that we associate with Rome. As our guide said, "Rome may have conquered Greece, but Greece took over Rome" because Romans were just big copycats when it came to art.
Random shots as we walked the halls.
Of course, everyone knows that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and that was really amazing to see. I know this sounds weird, but I was actually surprised to see how small it was. I'd heard my whole life how HUGE it was, and when I saw it, it wasn't as ginormous as I'd imagined. Of course, it is still big, and high, and magnificent - don't get me wrong. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel, so I don't have any photos.
We were allowed to take pictures of the Raphael rooms, and I may have gone a little overboard. I really thought they were beautiful.
Raphael's self-portrait. I like how his eyes look like he is sneaking a peak at the viewer. It reminds me of
The Office, when Dwight does something stupid and Jim makes eye contact with the camera so we feel like we're sharing a secret joke.
This is Raphael's portrayal of Michelangelo. They were contemporaries, so I like to think that Raphael was perhaps trying to flatter Michelangelo by painting him in such a butch manner. I don't know for sure, but I rather doubt that an artist would have such an athletic build. Although, who knows? Maybe chiseling away at stone is a good workout.
More shots as we walked from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's church. This is the route a new pope takes after being elected in the Sistine Chapel as he walks to St. Peter's basilica for the big announcement.
St. Peter's basilica is massive. The letters around the rim of this dome are 3 meters high.
The main alter. The bones of Peter himself are buried underneath.
Michelangelo's
Pieta is in St. Peter's. I had to really fight my way through the crowd to get close enough for a photo.
Phew! We finished our tour in St. Peter's square, and it was a relief to leave the crowds and even all the ornamentation and artwork. After four hours in the Vatican museums, I felt like I do when I eat a lot of sugar - at first it is wonderfully delicious, but after a while, it is just
too much.
Brad and I had lunch at a delightful sidewalk restaurant, then we wandered around Rome and did some casual shopping.
Later that evening, we returned to the city center just as the sun was going down.
I think this was my favorite part of the whole weekend. We had dinner outside at a restaurant right across the street from the Colosseum, and with a full tummy and a tired-buzz from a day well-spent, I looked at my handsome hubby across the table and thought, "This is a perfect moment."
