The next day, Melissa, Lorraine and I headed out to tour the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. We left plenty of time to get to the Metro, and take the A line subway to the Vaticano stop. Our concerns mounted as we descended into the depths of the many platforms, and feeling like we were in Dante's famous Descent, the temperature rose to well over 100 degrees F and the crush of people made the heat almost unbearable. The tunnels leading into the platforms were packed. The platforms were packed. The train that arrived was packed. It seemed like only a half dozen people were intending to get off, but the crowd, unlike the Red Sea, would not (or could not) part to let them out. People were yelling and jostlling for position, but the doors had to open and shut at least 10 times as passengers were caught in the doors as they attempted to close. We finally realized we would never make the 10:00 start of our tour, so we scrapped ourt tickets and left the station to search fruitlessly for a cab. Tip for travellers to Rome: it is almost impossible to hail a cab on the street. You must find a taxi stand where the cabs line up to take their fare.
Our tour was 3 hours long and included access through a reserved entranceway circumventing the huge lines that were sweltering in the heat. We passed through captivating sites like Raphael’s Rooms, Gallery of the Maps and Bramante’s Pinecone Courtyard. We visited the Sistine Chapel and wondered at Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” ceiling fresco – considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Western art.
We found the stories of the organization of the art – 6 panels depicting scenes from the life of Moses along one wall, and six scenes from the life of Christ along the other -interesting explanations that added context to the overwhelming number of tapestries, paintings and sculptures that has made the tour a bucketlist staple for so many people. After, we explored St Peter’s Basilica and saw the famous La Pieta sculpture.
An exhausting day, but well worth it, and I get to put another tick mark on MY bucket list.
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| Ceiling along the Hall of Maps |
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| The Inside is the Church and the Outside is the World? |
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| The Pinecone - a Symbol of the Papacy |
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| Ceiling along the Hall of Maps |
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