Day two of our Roman holiday was spent almost entirely in Vatican City, a small independent nation contained within the city of Rome. Thanks to our special OMNIA passes, we didn't have to wait in the legendarily long lines, but everything was still really crowded. REALLY crowded. We took the tourbus across the Tiber River to our first stop, St. Peter's Square.
There are hundreds of statues of saints surrounding the enormous central area and the huge obelisk. St. Peter's Basilica, built over the old Circus of Nero and probably over the site where Peter is buried (if the ancient graffiti on the tomb is correct) is the site of pilgrimage for countless Catholics. The Pope gives audience here every week, but we missed him. Pictures don't do justice at all to how opulent and grand in scale St. Peter's is--but you can get an impression.
The papal altar
The dome of St. Peters
Peter's chair
Heading out of St. Peter's, we stopped to make a short video about our time so far.
From there it was a bit of a walk around the walls to the Vatican Museums, a truly massive collection of artwork and cultural items, including ancient sculptures, mummies, Babylonian inscriptions, early Christian artwork, painted rooms by Raphael, and of course, the Sistine Chapel. We felt like sardines in a can here. The exhibit we most wanted to see--the early Christian gallery--was mysteriously closed, but we made do.
In front of my namesake, Caesar Augustus
The School of Athens!
Sistine Chapel
Overall, a fun and exhausting day. Next time: ANCIENT ROME!!
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