From The City Of Lights To The Eternal City: Part VII

Friday, May 22 {Vatican}

The Holy See

Woke up early (and I mean early) and headed to the Vatican via underground.

We headed straight for St. Peters Basilica.

The only other people in the Basilica besides Emily, Katey, and I were a hand full of nuns and priest.

The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was Michelangelo’s Pieta. It was one of the things I had been really looking forward to seeing.

The sculpture was gorgeous!

We walked around the inside of the basilica and saw Peter’s tombs and the tombs of all the popes.

We left the basilica and went into the square where we took pictures by the fountains and the obelisk.

From here we walked over to the Vatican museums.

We waited in line for about 45 minutes (we got there before it opened).

Got an audio tour (which is the way to go) and took our time walking through the displays.

I hurried through the Egyptian artifacts (been there!) because I was so excited for the Rafael rooms.

Leading up to the Rafael rooms was the map room. This hall is huge and the ceilings were amazing!

The Rafael rooms were so beautiful! I had no idea the School of Athens was that huge.

I spent a lot of time in this room admiring the works of a Master.

We finished the tour with the Sistine Chapel.

*I didn't take any pictures inside the chapel since you aren't allowed to. I borrowed these ones from the internet*

The room was crowded (and noisy!) but I found a spot along the wall to sit (right in the middle).

I think I could have spent hours there just starring at the ceiling and the Last Judgment.

I listened to the audio guide and admired the breathtaking room.

The creation of Adam was my favorite.

After spending 5 hours at the Vatican we decided to leave.

The rest of the day consisted of lunch (lasagna and a chocolate gelato [#11]), taking naps at the hostel, and dinner (pizza and our 12th gelato).