Vatican Museum

THERE WASN'T MUCH LEFT on my list of things to do and see in Rome.  I'd seen just about all of the staples, and even saw the celebration for the Pope's new election.  But there was one glaring omission, the Vatican Museum, which houses the famous Sistine Chapel.

I'd had another travel free weekend in Rome, so I figured I'd take advantage.  I went with a buddy of mine from my Italian class and left for the Vatican around noon.

It's located about half a mile away from St. Peter's church.  We'd had the option of reserving tickets in advance and skipping the line (which cost extra) but decided against the pricier option.  However, many solicitors came up to us while we were waiting to try to convince us to change our minds  (even had an over/count to see how many times they'd ask us).  It took us about 45 minutes to get through the line, but we didn't mind.  Although it was a little cloudy and spitting rain every once in awhile, we managed to strike up a nice conversation with a couple from Australia while waiting in line.

There's a lot of art to see in this museum, and it is no secret to the many tourists who go there.  It was packed!  So, so unbelievably crowded, that at some points, you were left at a complete standstill.

The most notable work in the museum is the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.  It's a series of paintings that depict biblical scenes, that are located all around the chapel on every wall, and even on the ceiling.  After awhile, it was a strain on your neck to keep looking up.  I'd even debated bringing my neck pillow for extra support, but decided against it.  When you see it in person, it's hard to believe that someone actually took the time to paint all of it.  It was pretty packed in there as well, but we stayed for almost an hour looking at the art.

They're very strict about photography (none allowed) and even speaking (you're supposed to be completely silent) in the Sistine Chapel.  They had a few security guards whose job it was to yell, every five minutes or so, "No photo, be silent!"  Quite a boring job, but also extraordinarily difficult rules to enforce because of the sheer amount of people in the chapel.  The conversation level would cycle, starting as a whisper, then working it's way up to a persistent hum,  and rise to an indoor conversation level, before the security guard would inevitably yell "SILENZIO!" which would start the conversation level cycle over again.

The other notable work is the School of Athens by Raphael, which we saw towards the end of our visit.  It depicts famous philosophers, and even features a self portrait of Raphael on the far right side of the painting.  Thankfully though, this painting is on a wall, so I didn't have to strain my neck to view it.   Once again, very cool to see.

We called it day around 4 or so to head home.  I'd been on my feet for most of the day, so it was nice to relax.

More updates to come.

JC