Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Visiting the Vatican Museum and City

Our second day in Rome was probably the most important day for our group in terms of visiting important works of art. This was the day for our scheduled trip to the Vatacan.

We woke up early and enjoyed breakfast at the Hotel Cicerone. That morning we were on our own to tour Rome at our leisure. My mom, son and I joined a few others from our group and braved the subway system. Our destination was the Church of St. Peter in Chains. We were all quite anxious to view Michelangelo's Moses.

The church itself was breathtaking and one of many such structures we would see on this trip. Photographs don't do justice to the high ceilings that tower at least 3 stories above our heads or the ornate decoration and details adorning every facet of the building.

After lunch, we met the entire group (there were 20 of us in all) and took the bus to the Vatican City. We actually caught a glimpse of the pope but in all the excitement, I didn't get my camera out fast enough.

The museum was fabulous but crowded. We were allowed photos in the museum portion and St. Peter's Basilica but not the Sistine Chapel. As awe inspiring as the Sistine Chapel was, I would have enjoyed it more if the room hadn't been full to capacity with other tourists wanting to ogle Michelangelo's work. I highly suggest going when it's not the peak season for tourists. We also saw his Pieta but it was behind glass.

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