"When in Rome.." Day 2: The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel
My second day in Italia! We got off the bus and was greeted by this very friendly English speaking gentleman explaining what the tour is like inside of The Vatican.
The Vatican. In a nutshell, you need about 16 eyes to really take it all in. There are 1400 rooms in The Vatican! Thankfully, because we pre-purchased our tickets online, we didn't have to deal with the massive line that wrapped around the entire block in the 90 degree Roman sun. It was 4 more Euros than if you were on line. 4 Euros well spent! Once you pass all the technicalities (ie: ticket scans, optional headset tour guides) you walk into a large court yard. The sun in beaming all over, there is no refuge.
When I finished taking all my touristy photos, it was time to head inside. I understand why the Vatican city, is it's own state in Italy. It is a massive space that I couldn't capture within my camera lens. The court yard is one huge square, and it's perimeter is the Vatican Museum. When we started our exploring, we were on the left of the courtyard, and after 3 hours of "ooh's and ahh's" we found ourselves on the right side of the court yard. Yes, there's that much to see! But let's fast forward to the beginning. Essentially, the Vatican Museum is one long hallway. Every hall is adorned with sculptures, statues, and paintings. In the first hallway were many head sculptures and statues of prominent figures at the time the Vatican was built.
After every ten minutes of walking there's a doorway and on the other side is another hall with an entire different atmosphere and mood. What I loved most about these halls were the details. Almost every hall had engraved pillars and/or painted ceilings. Some ceilings were dome-shaped or octagonal. I couldn't walk looking straight ahead because my eyes were always looking at the walls or the ceilings.
I was so grateful to be in such a place as this because someone 500 years ago somehow painted,carved, molded these beautiful images by hand. In this modern day we rely on lots of things that make labor less of a burden, and while I'm sure these artists had tools and equipment to help them complete these tasks, it took a lot of dedication to put this beautiful masterpiece together. These artists are long gone, but they've left a beautiful fingerprint behind for us to marvel.
As we continued on, there was so much to see. Because the crowd was going in one direction, it was kind of hard to stop and look as much as I might've wanted to. It's like walking on Times Square and a tourist stops directly in front of you. I didn't want to be rude, but then again, when's the next time I'll be in Rome, Italy at the Vatican?? So I stopped and gazed when I felt like it. I know I'll have to make another trip just to be able to see everything.
There were some rooms completely blocked off from entering by a velvet rope. So my zoom game was on one hundred when I passed by.
As we continued on, we were in a hall with large tapestries on the walls of different biblical images. Each tapestry had to be about 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. There was so much going on one tapestry that if you wanted to tell the story about the depiction, you'd have about 3 stories to describe.
Here we have Jesus, at the center, walking out of a home of some sort, but on His left and right, there are shielded men. I wish I got a shot of the border. The bronze edging that looks like a frame is part of this tapestry! This is what I'm trying to explain when I said someone put their life into these works of art!
If anyone knows how to have a grand entrance, it's Michelangelo. Before we arrived at The Sistine Chapel, we walked into The Soap Opera room. Of course this isnt the real name of the room. But there was soooo much to look at! Soo many stories on the walls, the ceilings! The Soap Opera Room's ceiling has images facing every direction. So of course I was walking across the floor in circles!
BE AWARE OF THESE PEOPLE AND GO THE OTHER WAY. AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
The Vatican City is its own separate state from Rome and its divided into 3 sections: The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel, and St.Peter's Basilica. Because we already purchased our tickets, this gentleman offered to give us a tour of the Vatican, Chapel and Basilica for one low price. We "needed" a tour because "the Vatican and Chapel are free but you must pay to enter the Basilica".
Spidey senses started tingling all over! I suggested we go inside The Vatican and get the real information and like clockwork our new "friend" lowered the price of the tour. With that I dismissed him and we entered into the Vatican. We later found out that we have free access to The Vatican, Sistine Chapel and the Basilica with the ticket we purchased.
The moral of the story is.. DO NOT GET SCAMMED BY THE "TOUR GUIDES". They will be EVERYWHERE. Bring all your questions and concerns to the information desk inside The Vatican.
Directly in the center of the court yard of The Vatican is a large golden sphere. Sfera con Sfera, translated as Sphere within a Sphere was sculpted by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. I'm surprised that I've never heard of this sculpture before seeing it for the first time. Its a beautiful disaster. It looks broken and cracked away, and it revolves so you don't miss a single detail. I wish I got a better angle, but too many people got in the way.
When I finished taking all my touristy photos, it was time to head inside. I understand why the Vatican city, is it's own state in Italy. It is a massive space that I couldn't capture within my camera lens. The court yard is one huge square, and it's perimeter is the Vatican Museum. When we started our exploring, we were on the left of the courtyard, and after 3 hours of "ooh's and ahh's" we found ourselves on the right side of the court yard. Yes, there's that much to see! But let's fast forward to the beginning. Essentially, the Vatican Museum is one long hallway. Every hall is adorned with sculptures, statues, and paintings. In the first hallway were many head sculptures and statues of prominent figures at the time the Vatican was built.As we continued on, there was so much to see. Because the crowd was going in one direction, it was kind of hard to stop and look as much as I might've wanted to. It's like walking on Times Square and a tourist stops directly in front of you. I didn't want to be rude, but then again, when's the next time I'll be in Rome, Italy at the Vatican?? So I stopped and gazed when I felt like it. I know I'll have to make another trip just to be able to see everything.
There were some rooms completely blocked off from entering by a velvet rope. So my zoom game was on one hundred when I passed by.
More beautiful ceilings..
As we continued on, we were in a hall with large tapestries on the walls of different biblical images. Each tapestry had to be about 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. There was so much going on one tapestry that if you wanted to tell the story about the depiction, you'd have about 3 stories to describe.
If anyone knows how to have a grand entrance, it's Michelangelo. Before we arrived at The Sistine Chapel, we walked into The Soap Opera room. Of course this isnt the real name of the room. But there was soooo much to look at! Soo many stories on the walls, the ceilings! The Soap Opera Room's ceiling has images facing every direction. So of course I was walking across the floor in circles!
After I was finished marveling at this glorious room, there were many stairs to climb, lines to wait on and crowds to wait in. The only hope I had were signs pointing straight ahead for the Sistine Chapel. It was during this wait that I realized its the Sistine Chapel, not the Sixteen Chapel! (Am I the only one who thought it was Sixteen?) When we finally arrived at the Sistine Chapel , Roman officers kept shouting "No Pictures! No video!" The Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo over the course of four years (1508-1512). This room, like all the rooms prior, was completely covered in paintings and murals. There is a statue of Christ, a few benches for prayer an the rest is open space. It's really unfortunate that we were not allowed to take photos. If you were caught taking photos guards would point you out and shout "No photos! No videos!" After all, it is a chapel. There were even a few patrons praying in front of a statue of Christ. Even though we weren't allowed to take photos, that doesnt mean I didn't take any. I didnt travel all this way to not get at least one shot!
This painting above is "The Creation Of Adam". Finished in 1511, the Creation of Adam has to be one of the most popular sights in the entire Vatican City. There are countless interpretations of this painting. The most famous tells the story of the Book of Genesis and this scene is God breathing life into Adam. If you ask me, that theory makes no sense because Adam looks alive and well and in the Bible it says that God "breathed into his [Adam] nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). So the breath of life cant be coming from the fingertips. (I'm just saying.)
All in all, I am so happy that I was able to experience Rome, Italy in all its glory. It is a magnificent place, with so much history and an infectious culture. I will be back! Especially for the ice cream!