Day Two (Part I): A Morning at the Vatican

First evening of sightseeing down, and my feet are already feeling the burn.  Nonetheless, I hopped out of bed and hit the ground...well, not running, but more at a steady clip.  I had reservations at the Vatican at 9:00 am, so I grabbed a cornetto and left the B&B around 8:30.

Cornetto in hand (and soon, in mouth), it was only a ten minute walk to the Musei Vaticani.  I passed several restaurants setting up for the day, and the air was cool enough to warrant a jacket.

Pre-purchasing tickets for the Vatican is super smart. Instead of waiting in line for hours, you can go to the right of the lines and bypass all those poor tourists waiting in the sun.  There's still a bit of a wait, but it's more that you're probably going to end up stuck behind a tour group and have to wait for all of them to get through the door.

Once you get inside. it is a madhouse. Tour groups, with guides speaking every language, crowd around you.  You're packed like cattle to the slaughter as you go through security, exchange your booking for a ticket, ride the escalator up, and then go through the final entrance.

Once inside, I somehow ended up going through a small gallery featuring Greco-Roman marble statuary.  It was surprisingly quiet, and I was able to really get a close look at Minerva, Diana, Selenus, and the like.

Statue of Selenus (leaves spotted: 1)

(Fun fact: At some point in time, the Vatican placed modesty leaves on all of the nude statues, so no man-bits could offend your eyes.  So play spot the leaf!)

As I was finishing that gallery up, a (loud) tour group started to come in, so I quickly darted out of there.

To get to the Sistine Chapel, you must first weave your way through the many rooms and hallways of the Musei Vaticani.  The trick is to pace yourself between tour groups - that way it's slightly less crowded.

I had two favorite sections in the Musei Vaticani - the Gallery of Maps and the modern art collection.  The Gallery of Maps features huge wall panels that are - you guessed it - maps.  Beautifully painted, vibrantly colored, highly detailed maps.

Detail from one of the panels in the Gallery of Maps

One of the last sections of the museum before the Sistine Chapel, the modern art collection features works by Matisse, Chagall, Munch, Dali, Rivera and more.  It's wonderful, and not just because the majority of the tour groups skip it!

When you think of religious art, the traditional Middle Ages or Renaissance period artwork comes to mind.  It's fascinating to see how these modern artists have reimagined and reinterpreted religious iconography.

close up of Salvador Dali's 'Paesaggio Angelico'

After this wing, I finally reached the Sistine Chapel...and was a little underwhelmed.  It's so packed with people that you spend more time trying to navigate through the crowds than you do staring at the ceiling!

Don't get me wrong - Michaelangelo's work is amazing.  There are places where the bodies look three dimensional, as if they're reaching out to you.  Delphica's face still haunts me.

After the Sistine Chapel, I escaped to the gardens.  by now, it had warmed up enough to ditch my jacket and enjoy the cool breeze.

cooling off in the gardens

I decided to walk around the Vatican walls to St. Peter's Square.  It was set up for a papal audience, so there were chairs everywhere.  

I checked out the Basilica next.  I mistook which line I was supposed to get in, so I ended up in the papal crypts.  The burial places of the popes is beautiful and solemn, and it's frustrating to see tourists disrespecting that.  Many had their cameras out (when it's clearly posted no photography) and their flash on (which you should never ever do around works of art).  I shouldered my way through another tour group (this one in Polish) and made my way up to the Basilica.

The main altar is massive.  Like, ridiculously so.  And it was designed by my boy Bernini, so you know I had to at least get a glimpse at it.  While it was crowded here as well, you don't feel it because St. Peter's Basilica is just so large.  I wandered through the Basilica for a bit before going back and getting in line to climb the dome.

Altar in St. Peter's Basilica

I decided to try and save my feet just a bit and paid extra to take the elevator.  The elevator takes you to the roof - which on this leg is blocked off from viewing outward, so I was forced to climb if I wanted to see those famous views.

Dang, I am out of shape!  Even if you take the elevator, there are still 323 steps you have to climb to reach the top of the dome - narrow, steep steps that will make you feel every time you broke your New Year's resolution to work out more.  Fortunately, there are narrow window slits and actual windows that let the breeze in - but in some places, it's still stifling hot.  Even better (or worse), there are places where the walls slant, so you have to climb the stairs at a lean - or my personal favorite, a set of spiral stairs so narrow and steep that there is a rope strung from the ceiling for you to hold on to!

But oh, the huffing and puffing and mild claustrophobia is worth it.  You reach the top and a clean, cool breeze sweeps over you as your breath is taken away by the views of the city.

view from the top: St. Peter's Square

...And then you have to climb back down.  Fortunately, you can view Rome from the roof on the climb down, so you can get some great photos of the saints circling the square (also by Bernini!).  Then the elevator takes you back down to the Basilica, and you're spit back out into the piazza.

Saints' backs from the roof of the Basilica.

By this point, my jacket was sticking to my arm from where I'd been lugging it around, and my pants were sticking to the back of my knees.  So I headed back to the B&B to change before setting off in search of lunch.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures! Next up: Walking, shopping, and a night of tango...

Ciao!
Samantha