We booked our tickets for the Vatican online in advance -- right down to the admission time: 10:00 AM. When we arrived at the gates, we saw why this was recommended. The line to buy tickets was more than a block long. We walked right past those poor suckers, who were standing out in the drizzling rain and looking wholly miserable.
Once inside, it was pretty overwhelming. Hall after hall of paintings, maps, sculptures, even an entire hall lined with cupboards (I am not sure what those were about...) Some areas were closed, but we saw a lot anyway.
If I ever have a chance to go back, I will do some advance planning, so that I know more precisely what I want to keep an eye out for. As it was, I felt like I was just following people through gallery after gallery of fantastic artwork and furniture, without really appreciating what I was seeing.
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Square and Basilica
Here again, there was a long line of people waiting to go through security. We managed to find a shorter line, so we didn't have to wait very long.
Before we left for Rome, we re-watched a couple of movies.
Of course, Roman Holiday was one, a light-hearted delight, and we made a point of visiting most of the places featured in there.
But we also watched a couple of movies with more gravitas: Angels and Demons, which in my opinion is somewhat outlandish, but does have good footage of the city; and The Scarlet and the Black, a masterpiece about Rome during the Nazi occupation.
St. Peter's Square features prominently in both of the last two movies, so it was quite a thrill to stand in the very place Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer (and of course, Tom Hanks) stood.
I loved this marble dove floor mosaic.
I read that much of St. Peter's was paid for through the selling of indulgences, which is a rather sobering thought. Something so wicked, and yet such a glorious result... it makes you wonder: was it worth it? I don't know the answer.
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