The smallest country in the world

Now I can say I’ve been there!

We got up bright and early to head over to the Vatican Museums/St. Peter’s Basilica before the crowds got too crazy. St. Peter’s is the biggest church I’ve ever been in – and after a quick google – apparently it’s the biggest church in the world. I enjoyed looking at all the ornate details on the walls and the ceilings, and all the statues in there. The center of the church was under construction – some pillars being restored or something. I was really disappointed I couldn’t see Michelangelo’s Pieta for the same reason. I’ve seen several copies and statues that were inspired by Pieta but I was hoping to see the real deal. Alas… I guess I’ll just have to come back to Vatican City someday!

Exterior of St. Peter’s Basilica

Just outside St. Peter’s

Looking over the grounds from the entrance of St. Peter’s

The interior!

The biggest dome inside

One of the statues inside St. Peter’s

After visiting the church, we walked over to the Vatican Museums, stopping on the way to fill our water bottles at one of Rome’s many fountains.

The line to get into the museums was crazy long already, but luckily we were blessed with the ability to skip the lines in many parts of Europe thanks to the Connexion 26 gene 😉 (that’s a deaf joke for those who may not get it) so we were able to go right inside and get our passes. The museums were massive and there was a ton to look at – but at the same time, it felt like we were cattle being ushered constantly to our next point of interest, and I didn’t feel like we got enough time to enjoy the art. I didn’t get many photos because of that, but I did get some. I think my favorite was the hall of the muses and the round room.

The Pinecone Courtyard

Another artwork at the Pinecone Courtyard

Pinecone Courtyard

Statue at the Vatican Museums

Busts

Hercules

Venus Felix

The Round Room

The Gallery of Maps

The exit ramp out of the Vatican Museums

They had ASL video guides!

Of course, the star of the show was the Sistine Chapel – and photography wasn’t allowed in that room. I could have spent ages staring at that ceiling, but I don’t think my neck would have appreciated it. This room was on my bucket list, and I’m happy to have checked it off!

After we finished up at the museums, we caught a taxi back to the Pantheon and walked back to the airbnb. We were wiped out from a full (and early) morning so we took a nap. Woke up, hung out for a bit, and then decided to go out for dinner. We found a restaurant near Piazza Navona and we both got pizzas. Kiley got spicy salame again, while my pizza had sausage and chicory on it. Delicious! For dessert, we got gelato once again – but oops, we paid the tourist tax this time. Each of our gelatos was 15 euro! I didn’t plan on spending 30 euro on gelato today but sometimes life is like that 😆

We’re off to Naples in the morning! More later…