We started our day trying to catch a cab at 8:15 to take us to the meeting point of our Vatican tour, which was organized by Get Your Guide. The local vendor was Barcelona International Travel, which didn’t seem that local. We tried ordering the taxi three or four times and they kept telling us nobody was available. So we made the hike which was about 1.9 kilometers. Fortunately, it was downhill and flat, but unfortunately, it was cobblestone at times. Once we got out of our little neighborhood, we crossed under the railroad tracks, walked across major streets, and then walked around St. Peter’s Square. I had attempted to contact them multiple times yesterday and this morning about meeting them at St. Peter’s Square assuming that was where our tour started. They didn’t get back to me until we were passed the square. And basically said no, you have to come here. With no explanation. And then we waited. I don’t know 20 minutes for people to show up that we’re running late and then they never showed up. our guide showed us pictures of the Sistine Chapel and explained that we wouldn’t be able to talk in the chapel so this is the best way to describe what we’re going to see. We entered the building at the Vatican Museum entrance, which was actually closer to the tour meet up location. We could see lines lines that never ended. We were concerned that we were going to have to get in that line, but we didn’t have to fortunately.

Our guide was pretty good at explaining where we were and what we were seeing. It was a lot. The Vatican Museums are a complex of museums and galleries, encompassing over 70,000 works spread across 54 museums. With more than 1400 rooms, it is considered one of the largest museums in the world. Walking through all the exhibits could take days, if not weeks. Exploring the Vatican Museums with a map can enhance your visit by providing a sense of direction, highlighting must-see exhibits, and revealing hidden gems within its labyrinthine halls. We didn’t get a map, made things a little more challenging when we lost our tour. A couple of the rooms we visited included.

• Pio Clementine
• Tapestry Gallery
• Map room
• Gregorian Etruscans room
• Rafael Room

There is things to see both inside and outside. There was a large Courtyard that had it looked like a restaurant, and enormous pinecone, the symbol of fertility and wealth.

The Vatican Museums has one of the oldest collections of art in the world dating back to the Ancient Egyptians. However, it also has a very important collection of contemporary art, so modern that you should not be surprised if a small number of these modern artists are still alive today.

One of these living artists whose work is on display in the Vatican museums is the 93-year-old Arnaldo Pomodoro. His bronze Sphere within a Sphere known in Italian as Sfera con Sfera is a very striking bronze sculpting in the Pine Cone Courtyard (Cortile della Pigna) on display in an outdoor area within the Vatican Museums.

Arnaldo Pomodoro is an Italian sculpture, born in Morciano, Romagna on the 23rd of June, 1926. He was a huge admirer of Picasso and attended the Art Institute in Pesaro. In the 1960s, he created a number of spheres of different sizes where the outer sphere is cracked to reveal a smaller sphere inside. It is believed that the inner sphere depicts our world with the outer sphere depicting the Christian world with many fractures or cracks symbolizing the fractures in our world and the Christian world today.

When we were in Dublin at Trinity College, we saw one of his Spheres within a Sphere situated outside the Main Library.

One of the things that mom found interesting was when the guide spoke about the popes, who basically stole or just took antiquities that were discovered to add to the Vatican collection Bart. It’s just doesn’t seem right.

There were so many sculptures, giant sculptures, animals sculptures, mystical sculptures there was a sculpture. One of the sculptures we wanted to see, but unfortunately missed was the Pieta. It is located in Saint Peters Basilica, and we were planning on going there, but there’s a longer story behind this. I’ll share with you shortly. If you click on the image, you’ll see the whole sculpture, for some reason, their heads are getting cut off.

Giants

After the Pio Clementine room, we are getting ready to go up another flight of stairs when we realize there was no handrail. Which makes it somewhat difficult for mom. So we asked if we could use the elevator and we were allowed. A couple in our tour said they would let the tour guide know what we were doing. We could hear her saying something about all the elevators don’t go exactly to the floor we’re going to. We never saw our tour group again. We attempted to contact the company to let them know what happened and to see if they had any suggestions. They attempted calling the guide, but she had her phone off because she was working. One of the interesting things about the Vatican museums, iseveryone moves in the same direction and you can’t go backwards. You are forced to continue moving forward. But we didn’t know if we missed the Sistine chapel.  We asked a couple of people who spoke English if they had gone there yet and they said no, and then a couple had a map that we took a photo of so we at least need the direction to continue walking in. I don’t completely understand why the guy didn’t even attempt to contact the home office. so we had to do the rest of the tour on our own. 

Map gallery

Tapestry gallery

Eventually, after walking down an enormously long corridor, we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel. As we made our way into the room, the guards working there suggested we move forward told us we couldn’t take pictures, made sure we were silent. Eventually, we found a seat which was also a fabulous thing. Enabling us to stay in the room longer than our tour would have. Sitting down made it was a little easier to look up. Even though we didn’t take photos, we had a few favorites:

The tale of Michelangelo’s labor over the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling is a narrative marked by a race against the relentless march of time and the physical medium with which he worked. Between 1508 and 1512, over the course of four intense years, Michelangelo transformed a vast, blank plaster canvas into one of the world’s great wonders.

After spending 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the Vatican Museums, I was tired and feeling dehydrated, mom was doing well, but we stopped in a restaurant really across the street to eat and rehydrate.

Our next excursion was defined the hop on hop off bus. Took a little bit for us to get a taxi, which was rather annoying and he completely overcharged us. But we are eventually able to find the bus tour. In total, it was about an hour and 45 minutes round-trip. we started off at the Vatican stop which wasn’t near the Vatican and decided not to get off but just listen and Learn. With about three stops to go I looked at my phone and realized I only have 5% juice left. Which scared the crap out of me because I couldn’t get mom‘s phone to work well so how are we gonna find another cabby or find our way home and give the address to them . Somehow or another roaming data on and off in her on her phone appeared. It’s on my phone and I’m not sure why it’s not on hers. And I looked everywhere. I think it’s an Italy thing.

After we got off the bus, mom remembered she had the address for our apartment because I had printed out these little bitty cards just in case we needed them to give to like a cabby. Then we were on the hunt for Wi-Fi and a bar pub or something but before that we were accosted by men selling wears. One happen to be a cell phone charger. walked by he disappeared. To be on the safe side we bought something for €20. Funny part is we were looking for the Wi-Fi restaurant, an empty cab drove by he stopped let us in and only charges $15 for the ride to our apartment. It was well worth it.

Tomorrow, the Colosseum, the Palladium, and the forum. Our feet hurt we walked almost 9000 steps today and wish us luck tomorrow.