Monday, August 29, 2011

I Say A Little Prayer...in Vatican City!

After our whirlwind, 5-hour "Best of Rome" tour, Max rushed us to Vatican City to meet up with our Museum tour guide, Vanessa.  Apparently, only licensed Vatican tour guides are allowed to give tours within the Vatican's walls.  We met Vanessa at the Museum entrance (above) which also happens to be the entrance to the world's smallest country - the sovereign city-state of Vatican City.  As the religious center of the Catholic Church, I was terrified that lightning might strike me dead upon setting foot on the holy grounds, me being an abomination and all.

Here we are, with the nipple of St. Peter's Basilica poking through the trees in the Vatican gardens.

Here I am, checking out the view from one of the museum windows.  Still no lightning.

One of the many amazing ceilings within the Vatican Museum.

And yet another ridiculously beautiful ceiling in the Museum.

Me and Hermes are just hangin' in the Octagonal Courtyard.  He's wearing a long cape and a hat, but where are his pants? ---- Things that make you go "hmmmm."

The courtyard also houses The Gabinetto del Laocoonte, billed as the most beautiful statue in the Vatican Museum.  Totally understandable.  But again, no pants?  Hmmmm.

The animal gallery was just a bit creepy, but cool.

Yet another beautiful Vatican ceiling.

Here we are surrounded by more statues, our faces shiny with sweat.  Did I mention the Vatican Museum is not air conditioned?  Hey Benedict, sell one of those statues and install some a.c. already! 

This is the floor where we're standing above.

Yes, more ceilings.

And one more.

OK, maybe just one more.  This is the Gallery of Maps, one of the most amazing exhibits in the Museum.  It's a long corridor lined with maps of the various Italian regions.  On the ceiling accompanying each map are paintings and murals of scenes related to the history of each region.

Above, the exit to the Gallery of Maps.  Impressive, huh?  

For all you aspiring pickpockets, might I suggest getting your feet wet in the Sistine Chapel (our next stop on the tour, but sadly, no photographs were allowed).  Imagine a darkened room filled with foreign tourists brimming with Euros, staring up at the ceiling, oblivious to anything happening around them as they stand awestruck by the artwork surrounding them.

Ah, the inside of Saint Peter's Basilica.  I'm not a religious person, but I was raised Catholic so it was actually quite humbling and, dare I say, inspiring, to enter the world's largest Catholic Church.  I mean, seriously, how can you not be impressed? 

Yes, yet another ceiling, but as Vern always says on Design Star, lighting is everything.

The Pineda family huddled up once again for a photo in front of the altar at Saint Peter's.  And no, Val is not sunburned - though that's pretty much how she looks after a day at the beach, even with 100 spf sunscreen.   She was actually so overcome with emotion that she broke down crying - or maybe it was just the last 9-hours of non-stop walking.

The Pope's Balcony - it's good to be Pope.

The famous Saint Peter's Square.  It's destroyed almost as often as NYC is in movies (Angels and Demons, 2012)

A final shot of the family as we exit Vatican City.  We were running almost 2-hours late to meet up with Max for the drive back to the ship, but Vanessa didn't really seem to care.  "I just want to show you one more thing," she kept saying.  Famous last words.

If you're in Rome, I highly recommend Rome Connection and ask for Max (far left) or Vanessa (far right).


On our ride back to the ship from Rome, Max introduced us to our new favorite Italian candy, Fruit Joy.  It's sort of a cross between a jellybean, a gum drop and a sour patch kid.

Tonight's towel animal.

This Afternoon's Itinerary:
Vatican City and Museums
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Square
Drive back to Port of Civitavecchia
Previous Day in Florence and Pisa

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