Back to the Vatican... and its amazing museum

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After talking with a lot of our fellow travelers during the Rome leg of our trip, we decided we could not leave Rome without visiting the Vatican Museum, that it should allocated a day of its own - as all the booty the Popes have collected over centuries are found in this one world famous museum. Not to mention the Capella Sistina... the Sistine Chapel. Oh yeah, that little piece by Michelangelo... probably shouldn't miss that, right? ;o)

This entry will be primarily photos... there is SO MUCH to take in at the museum, and honestly we did not even scratch the surface of what is there to see. But we did look at most of the Etruscan and Greek sculpture, went through its really cool map exhibit, saw some amazing animal sculpture, and ultimately made our way through the long and winding queue, paved with a multitude of beautiful Renaissance paintings, to the very colorful and multi-themed Sistine Chapel. It is really beyond description. There is a lot of color, a lot of different murals portraying all sorts of famous biblical and historical scenes, and a beautiful framework of architectural relief that separates one "frame" from another. And... it is a stiff neck in the making. You have to stop, try to get one of the coveted bench seats around the perimeter, and just sit back and take it all in.

Honestly, if you read the entry on the Archeological Museum in Naples, holding the artifacts recovered from the ruins of Pompeii, you will see that was really more our thing. But one cannot diminish the importance of what is found at the Museo Vaticani... it holds so many pieces of history you really cannot comprehend the width and breadth of it. It's like the Smithsonian in Washington, which I went to as a kid (and of course could not fully appreciate at that time in my life)... the Vatican Museum should be a multi-day event.

I guess the conclusion I've come to after spending the time we did, and realizing we needed so much more... is that I really need to LIVE in Italy for a year (or more) to properly appreciate all the amazing history, provenance, and culture. Yeah, that's the ticket. Move to Italy. ;o)

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Photos

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Portal to ancient history

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The vast interior courtyard of the Museum, called the Cortile della Pigna

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The "Pigna" the courtyard is named for... a famous bronze sculpture in the shape of a pine cone, which according to legend once stood on top of the Pantheon as a lid for the oculus

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This guy monitors about a zillion tourists coming and going each year

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So many sculptures, so little time...

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Honey, will you draw me a bath please?

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Me and my canine friend

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I teased Tim... how did they get your ancestor to pose for this piece?

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Stunning lapis inlaid floor medallion

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Amazing artistry in this door

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The ceiling in the blue hall where the map exhibit began

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Whimsical centerpiece to the blue hall

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The exit stairwell... love the geometry going on here