More Rome…well, the Vatican!

I’m sure most people are aware that Vatican City is a little sovereign nation right in the middle of Rome! I don’t even know where to begin with telling you about our visit to the Vatican Museum…I saw pieces of art that I never in my life ever thought I’d have the chance to see in person. I was a Greek major in college, and many of the mythological heroes of antiquity are to be found in the museum, like Perseus here:

Or Laocoon and his sons after they ran afoul of Poseidon:

And this one, the god of the Nile, which is enormous!

Mosaics and inlaid work that defies description:

And the huge sphere within a sphere which dominates the courtyard. It moves, by the way!

I believe this last lady is a muse of some sort. Even though her thread has long since disappeared, she is binding a book! How cool is that?

One of the best parts of the Vatican has to be the Sistine Chapel. It is just breathtaking. No photos are allowed, but you can click on the link to see some of the familiar works on the ceiling. Michelangelo painted the entire thing in only 4 years, while the Pope complained that it was taking too long! What an experience it is to see it in person