When we booked our trip to Rome we were excited to book an Airbnb with a beautiful view of Vatican City and San Pietro Basilica. It was breathtaking…even more so because it was the Monday after Easter and we could hear music coming from the courtyard. It ended up being a national youth gathering for catholic teenagers. There were more bus loads than we could count! Monday was the last day of the conference so they were mostly gone by Tuesday. But still Rome was a BUSY place.
On Tuesday we got on the Hop on-Hop off bus to get a quick look at the city before heading to the Vatican Museum for a guided tour. Normally we don’t opt for the tours, we take our time and explore on our own. But when we booked the tickets over a week out all they had left was the guided tour and it was so good!
Our guide had a sense of humor and made a few jokes. But I really appreciated all his insights and knowledge about Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel and how he used his art to make a statement. He pointed out where he put the faces of his friends and foes. He did the same for some of Raphael’s works…including the addition of Plato, Aristotle and even Michelangelo. After Michelangelo’s death some in the church felt the art would be considered pornographic so the subjects were covered with fig leaves and robes in some places, but many years later it was restored to its original version. I could have stared at the Sistine Chapel for far longer than I did, but my neck started to hurt. The iconic creation of Adam was amazing, as well as the picture of Adam and Eve with the serpent. One side of the chapel contained paintings of Jesus and the other side has Moses, so the old and the New Testament were on display. It was a great way to incorporate some lessons with the girls. We saw Moses with the Ten Commandment tablets and the parting of the Red Sea.
The tile work on the floor of the Vatican was fantastic. Several times our guide pointed out the mosaic style done with marble. The map rooms were really interesting. The Romans created mathematics and it’s hard to imagine what all went into creating such detailed and correct maps. We also enjoyed some woven tapestry’s with pictures of Jesus leaving the tomb and the last supper and one with Julius Caesar, and the Ides of March…when in Rome! And we can add another Van Gogh to list of his works we saw at the Louvre. There are actually three different museums at the Vatican Museum, it wouldn’t be hard to make a complete day of it.
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