The Vatican by Mia

The piazza in front of the Basilica

On the tenth-eleventh (it to us two days to get through) we went to the Vatican, which was absolutely incredible. There is just so many amazing things there that you have to take your time and let it all sink in! There are detailed scenes fresco-ed everywhere, every single ceiling is unique and excessively gilded and decorated, and everything is really big and grand. A bit rich for people who have taken a vow of poverty. Of course, it all belongs to the church, but the Pope just gets to use it! Anyway, its all very nice to look at if you don't think about where all that money comes from (everyone else's pockets).

'The Nile'

The first place we went to see was the Vatican museum. It is one of the largest in the world and it is full of lots of really nice stuff. It's also famous and popular for exactly those reasons, so there were thousands of people there even though it's the off season! There was a line that went all the way down the block! We waited in line for a while saying no to all the people who were selling tours, before finally coming in sight of the museum and squeezing through the spinny glass doors. The crowds did not get better from there, they got worse. We were in a big room that was comparable to security at an airport only more crowded and less efficient (I know, it was bad!). When we finally got through that giant crowd at the entrance, we went into another one on a really long escalator before the walkway forked a bit and it started to clear up. It was still pretty crowded though and we were swept through a tapastry gallery and a sculpture gallery before we were able to walk properly. Each new gallery we went through had a different decorative ceiling, though they were all very golden. We saw maps, paintings and books before going through Rafael's rooms which are a series of rooms painted entirely by Rafael. They are covered in frescoes and they are really nice, albeit overwhelming. My neck got really tired from staring up at the ceilings, which were really pretty.

The museum

Then we went through a contemporary art gallery to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is the Pope's private chapel and it was painted entirely by Michelangelo. It is a really big room, and it must have taken ages. There are really famous paintings in there though, and the room was packed. We scored some seats by the wall and just sat there looking at the walls and ceiling. We sat there for a while and then went over to the cafeteria for some food. We got some really good pizza for lunch, the peices were about twice the size of normal ones! Mine had, like, a Cesear salad on top of it! Sooooo good! After lunch we went outside and then saw a few hallways full of statues including one that is supposed to be the Nile. Its a big naked guy covered in little naked babies with grapes and fruit and stuff. Weird. After that we were all feeling quite done, but there was more! We went though a few galleries of really good paintings, some quite gruesome, some pretty happy, and all were religious. There was one of a guy having his intestine pulled out while he was still alive!!! Gross! After all that we were extra done.

One of Rafael's Rooms

We got the heck out of there and went to the piazza in front of St Peter's Basilica to eat a snack. We really meant to do the entire Vatican in one day, but that oviously was not going to happen. There was still the huge Basilica to do and we probably couldn't walk, let along brave the line that stretched half way around the square and then look at more beautiful frescoes and gold leaf. So we just sat in the middle of the square shooing away pigeons and eating our snack and some much needed emergency chocolate. It was a really nice square, with a big portico going around it and the Basilica right there. It wasn't exactly empty either! I really wonder how they fit all the people who come here when it actually tourist season. It must be horrible...

Museum

After lunch number two we walked back to the apartment, not even stopping for gelato. It was the first day without gelato we have had so far in Italy! We just dragged home and promptly fell on to the couch and spent the rest of the day being lazy. Thank gosh! I don't know what mommy was thinking when she planned the entire Vatican for one day!

The next day we finished the Vatican. We waited in the insanely long line and got inside. My first though when we got right underneath it was, whoa it's big! My thought when we got inside the actual basilica is lost in translation. It was huge, and intirely too much to take in! Insane amounts of gold leaf, lots of frescoes, lots of pretty granite and lots of statues. It was incredible! Behind a glass window to the right of the door was Michelangelo's famous sculpture, Pietra. We had seen a fake plaster model in the museum, but the one there was definitly not fake. The sheer size and outright boasting of richness of it was capable of ruining it for you, but I don't think about that stuff. Anything that can make a person's jaw drop as the walk in the door is amazing, no matter who's money was used to build it.

St. Peter's Basilica. One of the little domes.

After walking around and gaping at the interior we walked up the several hundred stairs to the top of the cupola, stopping at the base of the dome. From up there you can get a feel for the size of it, seeing the people below you looking like little ants. Then we walked up an increasingly tight staircase the went up to the roof and then started to wind up the dome. It was inside the dome, so it was curved like the dome, which was really cool, but sorta tight. After the bent staircase there was a small spiral one and then another, smaller spiral one before getting up to the very tippy top of the Basilica. We could see the entire city from up there! We spotted our apartment and the Pantheon to name a few. After walking all the way around the cupola, we headed down and stopped for a snack on the roof behind the statues of Jesus and some saints. Then we walked all the way down, gaped at the inside of the basilica some more, and then headed over to the next place.

Michelangelo's Pietra in the Basilica

The last thing we needed to see was St Angelo's Castle. It was slightly boring compared to what we had just seen, and we all just wanted to get it over with. We were all super tired from climbing the basilica. The coolest part was some past pope's rooms, complete with his bed and dresser. Like most of the rooms that are for the pope, they were all covered in frescoes. When we got out of there we went back to the apartment stopping at a really nice park in front of some government building and, or course getting some gelato.