20091224 – The Vatican Museum

It honestly takes more than 1 day to take in the Vatican, and we decided that we would return to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums are a series of museums that include Art and artifacts from all over the world. Our first stop was the Vatican Picture Gallery with religious artwork from Daddi, Raphael, Bernini, Leonardo da Vinci and so many other masters. Although I lack the art background to understand some of the significance of wealth of art and sculpture, it was fun to walk through the galleries and pick out the best “bad-ass” examples of renaissance art.

The next museums included many Egyptian artifacts and Roman and Greek sculptures. After being in Egypt, I have to admit that the Egyptian museum didn’t do as much for me. I have also seen more than my share of Greek and Roman sculpture in the British Museum and the various museums that I visited in Berlin. Still, the collection here was impressive. What makes Rome special, however, is the existence of the original monuments. In Rome, I want to see the Colusem and the Roman Forum. I can see the real thing. I don’t need to see parts of the history stuck in a corner of a museum.

We also visited a number of rooms painted or designed by Raphael. In Rome, it seems that every room is a work of art. You can stare at the ceiling or the floor and be dazzled by artwork or tile work even if the room is devoid of furniture or other art.

The highlight of the tour was definitely the Sistine Chapel. On this trip, I have seen many things that have been over-hyped. For example, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was not as cool in real life as I thought it would be. Stonehenge was smaller than I had imagined. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel did not disappoint. Staring at the ceiling, I could not imagine how one person was able to produce something so immense and beautiful. The 10,000 square foot ceiling contains more than 300 figures. It took Michelangelo, working alone, just over 4 years to complete. Later, he was asked to paint The Last Judgement on the wall behind the Pope’s alter. This painting, in my opinion, was just as impressive as the ceiling.

In the Sistine Chapel, you are not allowed to take pictures. This fact made me somewhat happy, as I could not come close to capturing the splendid artwork on my camera. Anyhow, there were two guards who had to keep people from taking pictures. Though it is clearly marked, they two were kept busy enforcing the rule. It must be one of the world’s most frustrating jobs. Every minute, a new group of tourists comes in, and it seems that no one wants to follow the rules. Every 30 seconds, the two made the announcement that people were supposed to be quiet and that pictures were not allowed.

By the time we left, the museums were shutting down. We headed back to the room. On the way, we purchased our tickets to Naples, purchased a new sim card for the phone, and also picked up some food stuffs for the next 2 days. We also did our laundry, though the

As we walked back to the apartment, I realized how lucky we were to be able to spend so much time in this city. With a number of days, you are able to get the feel of the place. You understand the metro system, you find grocery stores, and you integrate as best as you can. We are still tourists, but I do feel like I belong when I am in one place long enough.