Vatican City

Double Helix Staircase - watch your step
I woke up early this morning especially to head off to Vatican City, the worlds's smallest state. It also has its own independent postal service and press (Mum and Dad, watch out for a Vatican mail postcard coming to you soon! Let's hope it's faster than Poste Italia). Lovely included breakfast at Orsa Maggiore, this is an oasis for a single woman traveling... power showers, good food and I am treating myself to having my laundry done as some things don't look good all wrinkly from handwashing and I can't get away with 'recycling' anymore things being so hot.

Giant revolving globe in the courtyard

Walked down the Tiber River and past Castel St'Angelo and eventually found the wall of the Vatican and followed it around. Found the huge line of people waiting to go into the Vatican Museums, so I dropped in behind a group of nuns. Fortunately, the line was moving at a reasonable pace and I was in Vatican City by 9.30am.

Courtyard

The Museum is actually composed of several museums, including the Pinacoteca which includes paintings by Da Vinci, Raphael and Titian to name some; early Christian art, comtemporary religious art (!) including Dali; the Borgia and papal apartments, philately, papal seals and vestments, and sculpture. And of course, the highlight of the visit was at the end of all the museum trails - the Sistine Chapel!

Galleries

I got to see the Sistine Chapel due to wandering around trying to find the exit to St Peter's Basilica, but it was magnificent each time. The second time around, it was later in the afternoon so it was absolutely jam packed with visitors. For some funny reason I have gone through most of my life thinking that the Sistine Chapel ceiling is dome-shaped, when in fact is it more like a coffer. I was very glad I splashed out and rented an audioguide because the commentary really enhanced my understanding of Michaelangelo's work and gave insight into The Last Judgement. I definitely recommend seeing the Vatican Museums! Go early in the morning as it does close relatively early compared to other attractions.

Sculpture Museum



Pinacoteca









Contemporary art

Even a Dali

Raphael





Giant tapestry of the Last Supper

Raphael Rooms



A Da Vinci of St Jerome

Eden



Early Christian art
I ate a cornetto, very boring but cold; for lunch and also a pastry called a 'Paste'. Not a fan of these. They look charming, like a very large sausage roll dotted with chocolate drops, but they are actually lumpen pieces of dense pastry wrapped around some sort of heavy starchy fruit mince. I had two goes at eating it because I don't like waste but it was going nowhere! So some of it went to the Basilica pigeons and the rest had to be binned as I thought the pigeons were going to make a mess.

Huge line to St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Baldachin -his remains are buried beneath

The Sacred Door

The scale of the Basilica is unbelievable

I wound my way around the Vatican walls and eventually ended up in St Peter's Square, very hot and bothered. It is a great thing that Rome has many water fountains with potable water or I think that the roads would be lined with fainting tourists. I was about to give up all hope of going inside the Basilica, because there were literally hundreds (I am not kidding!) of people lined up in the baking sun to go inside. But I was too hot to even consider going back into the city, at least a km walk, so I decided to sit by a column and enjoy the scenery. An hour later, the queue had shrunk a bit so I joined it. Was very glad I didn't miss St Peter's Basilica it is magnificent. Got to see the Sacred Door, which is sealed up and opened by the Pope with a silver hammer every 25 years; the Pieta by Michaelangelo when he was only 23 (wow), touched the bronze St Peter's right foot which is worn smooth of all toes from people stroking and kissing it, and the remains of the previous popes in glass cases.

Pieta
Around 5pm there was a Mass held in an adjoining chapel and the Basilica was filled with singing. I peeped in, and saw a figure in white but not sure if this was Papa Benedicte himself...

Papal remains
Tiff, definitely come to Europe when you quit your job. I am enjoying traveling on my own because people are more likely to strike up a conversation and you can choose when and what you do. I am beginning to think, though, that some cities and places would be lovely to visit with others. I wore a skirt and top to the Spanish steps and also to Trevi Fountain (one coin for me, to return to Rome. Two is to fall in love with an Italian, three to marry him!)and also carried a shawl with me to drape over my shoulders to enter the churches. Aside from being beautiful, they are havens of cool and calm in the soaring heat.

Mum & Dad, I am following a rough route to try and see the places I visited in my childhood but also using the rail, so obliged to go where it's easiest to get connections. I would love to visit Verona and Milan but maybe on another trip perhaps one that includes Switzerland... it is a lot of fun to go to both personal nostalgic places as well as new places for me though. Thank you for sharing all your European memories for me so I can go and make new ones now.

Neese - enjoy your holiday at home, keep cosy by the fire and admire your buttons. I'll send you some prize examples from Europe when I get back to London. Post here not so reliable.

Tomorrow I will be a bit kinder to myself and explore the neighbourhood of Trastevere to the south. Then hopefully begin to go to slightly cooler climes in the north, but maybe not as it is the South of France?