Vatican City, Rome, Italy

“Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.”

Pope John Paul II

Our last day of our trip to Europe was spent in Rome. What an amazingly beautiful and fascinating city. We got up and started walking. We walked all over Rome that day, but in the morning we headed to the Vatican. The walk from our hotel, the Expedia was fascinating. On every turn we saw something more fascinating. I will come back to some of the sites we saw in one of the next blogs.  

On to the Vatican City. Outside the Vatican, we noticed the armed Italian military guarding the palace. We had bought our tickets in advance on line and were assigned a time to get into the Vatican. Our ticket was a skip the line pass and that worked out very well for us. We got inside quickly and walked through the long halls to the exhibits. There are over five miles of corridors to walk through in this amazing building. The exhibits seem to get better and better the further you got into the building and the crowds also get bigger. The Vatican Museum was built mostly in the 16^th century.

Vatican City has 110 acres and a population of about 1000 making it the smallest country in the world. It is located in the Province of Lazio on the Mons Vaticanus hill top. This is the home of the Pope who is the Bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church. The Pope is the only absolute monarch in Europe and at one time was the richest man in the world. This area contains four museums and seven churches.

The economy of Vatican City is supported by the sale of postage stamps, tourist mementos, fees for admissions to the museums, and the sale of publications. I am sure they are doing just fine after seeing the crowds there.

We saw the most amazing works of art that seem to come alive with vivid colors and beautiful expressions. There were amazing tapestries to see, and fantastic sculptures, and the ceilings throughout the museum were an eye full and we were filled with wonder. To tour the Vatican, a good half day is needed to really see everything. We only had a day in town so we went through much of it faster than we would have liked, but felt we got a lot out of what we saw.

When we entered the Vatican library area, we were flabbergasted by how elaborately it was decorated from the floors to the ceiling. Totally amazing. We were approaching the Sistine Chapel and you could tell as it was getting more and more ornate and the crowds were exploding at the seams. We were allowed into see Michelangelo’s masterpiece. We got into the Sistine Chapel and marveled the ceiling which truly was a thing of beauty. We were awe struck by all the details and the realism of the painting. Then I looked down and noticed how many people were in this chapel and started getting uncomfortable with the crowds. One of the guards was yelling not to take pictures, everyone was very loud, and people were getting compacted in the room. I heard the doors close and that is when I must have turned white, and Joe grabbed my hand and lead me out of the room. If only it hadn’t been so crowded. I’m glad I got to see it and am thankful Joe got me out of there when he did.

When we walked out the doors we saw one of the Vatican guards in his colorful uniform. They are Swiss guards and are responsible for the personal security of the Pope. We saw them standing guard in St. Peters Square where you can see the Obelisk, and the Basilica. We looked up and saw where the Pope stands to speak to the people for mass. The size of Obelisk is amazingly large and beautiful. While standing outside in the square we heard the church bells ring. How magical. 

When you see St. Peters Basilica from the outside, you see the size of this amazing church. The Dome on top is said to be the largest dome in the world and the Basilica is said to be one of the largest in the world. It holds 60,000 people and the interior is the largest of any church. When we went into St. Peters Basilica, it was huge and very ornate. The stained glass was beautiful and we enjoyed the architecture of the Basilica. The walk in was humbling as you pass where all the priest sit for mass. We got to see Michelangelo’s Pieta which is one of the best known artworks there. What a beautiful site. It is said the Basilica was built over the site where St. Peter was buried. It is said he is directly under the alter. St Peter was one of Christs Apostles and was said to be the head of the Catholic Church and the first of the Popes. Looking up to the ceiling you see the beautiful painting of Michelangelo and other famous artists. You can see the wealth of the Catholic church during the 16^th century. What a privilege to be able to see this fantastic Cathedral.

There are also beautiful gardens with statues throughout but we didn’t purchase that part of the ticket, nor did we have time. We would love to come back and see more but time wouldn’t allow it this time. Good bye Vatican City. Till next time. God Bless - (Dio Benedica).