Getting Lost in the Vatican Museum

Before you visit the Vatican Museum, you need a plan.  Whether it's a detailed battle plan or a simple list of "must see" items, walking into the Vatican Museum without some sort of plan will result in hours spent wandering aimlessly from room to room, wondering how anyone could possibly say they've "done" the Museum without spending an actual lifetime there!

When we visited the Museum in July, our plan consisted of nothing more than making sure we saw the Sistine Chapel.  But before you ever reach the Sistine Chapel,* you walk through nearly seven kilometers worth of galleries featuring some of the world's finest paintings, sculptures, ancient artifacts, mummies from Egypt, and jewelry - all spanning from ancient civilizations to modern creations.  Although we knew the Museum was extensive, I don't think it really sank in just how much so until we showed up after a morning in the Basilica.  In retrospect, I wish I had compiled a battle plan instead of a "let's just show up and see what's what" kind of plan!

Personal Favorites

The Raphael Rooms ~  Call me incredibly clueless, but I had no idea there was so much of Raphael at the Vatican Museum (obviously, I've forgotten all the art history I learned in high school).  I could've spent hours in the Raphael Rooms, mouth agape and completely engulfed in the School of Athens or the masterful Battle of Milvian Bridge (a Raphael design painted by Giulio Romano).  After seeing these paintings peer out at me through school textbooks and tv documentaries countless times, I couldn't believe they were right in front of me.

Here are a few of my favorite shots:

School of Athens

Battle of Milvian Bridge

Ceiling painting in the Room of Constantine

Gallery of Maps ~  What a hidden gem!  These 16th century frescoes by Ignazio Danti depict the entirety of the Italian peninsula.  We loved looking for familiar-sounding towns and cities of those we had just visited and those that still remain on our bucket list.

Sistine Chapel ~  By far, the Sistine Chapel was the apex of our Museum visit - and yet, it wasn't the experience I wanted.  Sadly, no photos are allowed (but many misbehaving tourists were snapping them anyway).  We spent at least 40 minutes in the Chapel, listening to our audio guide's explanation and descriptions of all the artwork.  Michelangelo's artistry draws people from all over the world, but unfortunately the hordes of tourists detract from the experience.  Instead of being able to quietly ponder on the Biblical stories and lessons behind the art, you are being bumped by tourists surreptitiously trying to sneak a picture.  Rather than hearing Gregorian chants or hymns, you are serenaded by a Museum employee telling you, "Silencio.  No photos," in at least three or four languages.  Perhaps you can experience a more reverent atmosphere in the off-season, but there was none to be had in July.

Other Notable Mentions
Caravaggio, Titian, Bellini.... yeah, they're all there.  I couldn't possibly cover all these masterpieces in one post.  (Future post, maybe?)  By all means, buy yourself a ticket to Rome and go marvel over these pieces in person yourself!!!

Planning Your Visit
Buy your tickets ahead of time, especially if you're planning to visit in the busy tourist season!  Although it will cost an additional 4 euros a ticket buying in advance, it translates into saving precious time when you can skip the long lines of people just waiting to buy their tickets!

This pup wants to know when you're coming to visit him!  Have you been to the Vatican Museum?  What were your favorite galleries?

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Cost:  16€ a person, plus an additional 4€ per ticket if you purchase online in advance; audio guides were 7€ per person
Time Needed:  ~1 hour if only visiting for the Chapel; at least 3+ hours otherwise
Accessibility:  Currently, the Museum is not immediately near a Metro line.  We took Line A to the Ottaviano - "San Pietro" station and walked south on Via Ottaviano for 2 blocks, then a right onto Via Germanico for 2 blocks, at which point the walls of the Vatican are directly in front of you.  Follow the wall to the right (eventually turning onto Via Vaticano - as if that isn't a clear indication of where you're going!), and it will bring you to the Museum entrance.  It was about a 10-15 minute walk.
Website:  http://www.museivaticani.va/
Tips:  Unless you're planning on queuing up at least 30 minutes before the doors open at 9am, do yourself a favor and buy your tickets online before you ever leave home.  You can reserve a specific entry time (we were able to enter the museum before our allotted time) and having that ticket will allow you to bypass the excessively long lines!  We chose to rent an audio guide, which was very helpful for the artifacts that piqued our interest.  Just like with visiting the Basilica, you will have to go through metal detectors and other security so make sure you don't accidentally bring any prohibited items with you.

* There were signs indicating how to bypass or cut through various galleries in order to get to the Sistine Chapel faster.  This would be very helpful for visitors on a strict time schedule or those who have no interest in anything but the Chapel.

Linking up with Bonnie & other travel bloggers for #TravelTuesday!

A Day at St. Peter's Basilica

We stopped by the Vatican to have a chat with Pope Francis this past July, but sadly, he wasn't in.  However, our disappointment soon dissipated into sheer wonder at the masterful architecture and beauty of St. Peter's Basilica!

Although there has been a church on Vatican hill since the fourth century, the current St. Peter's Basilica dates only to 1626, when its 120 years of construction were completed.  Considering artists such as Michelangelo and Bernini were involved with the planning and building, it's no wonder that St Peter's has become known as the "greatest church in all of Christendom."

We knew St. Peter's would be impressive, but nothing can really prepare you for it.  It's huge.

Down the center nave, a line marks where other churches and cathedrals would end if they were placed inside the Basilica.  Having visited St. Vitus in Prague, St Paul's in London, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., etc, in the past, it was amazing to see where the length of those cathedrals compare to the massive size of St. Peter's.  You're almost tempted to disbelieve it, though, since the Basilica was designed and constructed in a way that makes it seem smaller than it truly is.  This optical illusion was intended to make the church, and God, seem more approachable to the worshipper.

The statues in the Basilica are also fashioned to appear smaller.  See the cherub up there?  Doesn't he look like you could just scoop him up and pinch his cheeks?  (Ok, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration...)  But as you can see from the picture on the right, its hand dwarfs that of my husband.  And my husband has some big hands!

As you continue down the nave, alternating your gaze from left to right at various side altars and statues, you finally reach Bernini's High Altar, situated directly beneath one of Michelangelo's greatest masterpieces: the Dome.

Be prepared for some serious neck-craning action.  The Dome draws your eyes upward, intent on bringing your attention to God and reminding us of our own small stature in comparison to His greatness.  The brilliant colors and masterful artistry proved too much for my small camera, and my pictures cannot do the Dome's beauty any justice.  The juxtaposition of the blue "ribs" running up the Dome with the gold stars and gold lettering at the very top were absolutely stunning.  The saints, apostles, popes, and artists featured in the Dome's fresco seemingly dance above and around the high altar below them and encourage the viewer to join them.

Bernini's High Altar

Beneath the Dome and beneath the High Altar purportedly lies the grave of St Peter himself.  Sadly, there's no way to get a good look at the tomb.  If you stand on your tip-toes and crane your neck, you can get a limited view.  But there are no markers or indication as to what's hidden beneath the altar, so an uneducated visitor would remain clueless.  You can descend into a small portion of the crypt below the basilica floor (many popes are buried there), but again your views of the tomb are extremely limited.

For better views, however, it is well worth springing the 5 euros to climb to the top of St Peter's to see Rome laid out before you!  For an additional 2 euros, you can skip the first 320 steps by taking the elevator; honestly, the first 320 steps are not that difficult, and we made it up before the folks behind us in line got through the line at the lift.  Your first "resting stop" is inside the dome, looking down to the nave's floor.  For acrophobics like myself, this can be rather daunting.  I think I spent the entire time pressed against the walls!  But nothing could replace the experience of touching the mosaic pieces with my own hands or catching the tail-end of a mass from the dizzying but spectacular vantage point of the dome!

But the climb can go ever higher!  From the dome you ascend greater heights, at times walking sideways along the dome itself.  In between my nauseating fear of heights, I had to admit that it was a really cool experience.  And the anxiety and effort of the climb were amply rewarded with stunning views:

St Peter's Square

Papal apartments behind the Basilica

The long building with courtyards is the Vatican Museum.

Saving the Dome climb for the end of our visit to the Vatican capped our day perfectly.  When you've relished vistas as beautiful as this, how can you possibly top it?  Reluctantly, we made our way down to terra firma and back out into Rome.

Our day at the Vatican ended up being the highlight of our Roman experience, for both spiritual and aesthetic reasons.  I respect and admire Michelangelo, Bernini, and the other artists who endeavored to honor the power of God and attempt to bring the viewer closer to Him through their masterful designs and art in the Basilica.  While the hordes of tourists did not lend a particularly quiet atmosphere to St. Peter's, the architecture and design made me feel so small and yet embraced by both the hugeness of the Basilica and the greatness of God.

Dominus vobiscum.

Have you visited St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican?

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Cost:  FREE entry to the Basilica! 5-7 euros to ascend the Dome.
Time Needed:  You could breeze through in 30 minutes if you really have no interest in churches, history, or artwork.  However, I'd recommend 2-3 hours, particularly if you want to climb the Dome (so worth it).
Accessibility:  Currently, the Basilica is not immediately near a Metro line.  We took Line A to the Ottaviano - "San Pietro" station and walked south on Via Ottaviano.  It was about a 10-15 minute walk.
Website:  http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/index_it.htm
Tips:  Download Rick Steves' free podcasts on your smartphone!  He provides excellent explanations of various parts of the Basilica, and you'll feel much more knowledgeable after listening.

 Linking up with other travel bloggers for the #WeekendWanderlust!

Snapshots of the Vatican

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Some of my favorite, up-close-and-personal shots of our visit to the Vatican this past summer.

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How To Get Kicked Out of the Vatican!

This post is dedicated to all the unbelievably oblivious tourists attempting to visit the Vatican when we were there in July.  May your ignorance, rudeness, and obtuseness know no end, amen.*


How To Get Kicked Out or Denied Entry to the Vatican
In Three Simple Steps!

1.  Bring your multi-tool, kitchen scissors, pepper spray, or your spray paint!  I know you think it'd be funny to show off your Swiss Army knife to the Swiss guards, but I'm sure that joke has lost its touch on them by now.  Attempting to bring a weapon of any type into the Vatican is strictly prohibited and doing so could win you a free trip to the Vatican jail.  Now that would be an interesting stamp in your passport!  But if you forgot to pack the machete in your luggage, proceed to step two.

2.  Wear your best street-walking outfit.  That's right, ladies; if you got it, flaunt it.  Work what your Maker gave you!  Bare those shoulders and show off those upper thighs.  You might get a few glances before you're given directions to the red-light district.  And don't think you're off the hook, gentlemen.  Wearing a t-shirt with "F--- You" written on it might give you street cred, but it's not going to fly when it comes to the Vatican.  The Swiss Guards will be eager to give you a finger of their own... as they point the way to the door.  Oh, and they don't perform their wardrobe checks until after you've stood in line for security, so the last laugh is theirs, bro!  But if you're fresh out of inappropriate or profane clothing, never fear - there's still one more way you could get yourself kicked out.  Proceed to step three.

Yep. That'll do it.

3.  Break out into a raucous rendition of "Wrecking Ball" accompanied by your best imitation of the music video.  Preferably stage yourself right in front of the high altar for full blasphemous effect.  Or if you're not into Miley, I'm sure Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Eminem would be equally inappropriate as disruptions are sure to give you a fast-track ticket for eviction.  I'm sure they wouldn't frown upon a good Gregorian chant or a recitation of the Lord's Prayer, but if you can't remember any of the Latin you learned in middle school, just start humming sanctimoniously.

Bonus Tip:  How to Anger Your Fellow Tourists!
Cut in line!  Yes, that's right - if you're looking to anger, infuriate, aggravate, provoke and enrage your otherwise civilized fellow tourist, just stand to the inside of the line waiting to get into the Basilica as you pose for a photo with St Peter's behind you.  Then just keep inching towards the line and act as if you'd been there the whole time.  Line cutting is the perfect behavior for visiting the capitol of the largest Christian organization in the world!  Oh, and to absolve yourself from any misplaced guilt you may have about not waiting your turn at the back of the line, pretend you don't understand any of the muttered complaints uttered in every language known to man by the people you just gypped.  Just act like you only understand Klingon, smile banally, and go on with your line-cutting ways.

Have you ever witnessed inappropriate behavior like this?

*In case you aren't familiar with my humor (you should see what I wrote about Italy's Public Transportation System!), this is a very tongue-in-cheek approach to describe our visit to the Vatican.  These things did and do happen to varying degrees.  However, we had an absolute blast at the Vatican, and a more upbeat and "serious" post about our visit will hit the blogosphere in the future!

Linking up with Chasing the Donkey for #SundayTraveler!

Day Two in Rome

A great day (minus the foot aches!).