Vatican City (October 17, 2009)
Visit of Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica and its dome, Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel.
St. Peter's Basilica
First we visited the St Peter’s Basilica, the most important building in Catholicism. It is the burial site of Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Moreover his tomb is located under the basilica.
There are a lot of tourists and pilgrims, what is not really easy for contemplation. However we can see a lot of works of art, like Michelangelo’s beautiful Pietà, Bernini’s gilded-bronze throne, the interior of the dome or Piazza San Pietro with its columns.
Then, after climbing many stairs (it is also possible to take a lift), we reached the Dome. We were a bit disappointed to be behind wire fence, it is impossible to put the camera inside a hole. Then we climb to the top; the way is narrow and not recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia. At the top the panoramic view over Rome is beautiful.
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Rome and Piazza San Pietro. |
Vatican Museums
We spent the afternoon in Vatican Museums. They display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The museum is enormous with various galleries and rooms: Map gallery, Egyptian Museum, Etruscan Museum or Raphael Rooms where we can admire “The School of Athens”. We ended the visit with the famous Sistine Chapel, unfortunately it was overcrowded (and pictures are not allowed).
Information
- The queue for Vatican Museums can be very long, however we were there at 1 pm and we did not have to wait at all. It seems to be the good time to avoid waiting.
- In October 2009, the ticket for Vatican Museums cost 14€ (not included in Roma Pass). Even if we want to visit only Sistine Chapel we have to buy this ticket.
