Every last sunday of the month the entrance is free so the queue is much longer, please take note of this and try to get there as soon as possible in the morning because the last admission to the Sistin Chapel is at 1.30p.m. and if you don't get there on time, you run the risk not to see it and it is not allowable.
We booked the guided tour with a cultural association that was really very satisfactory.
Vatican Museum means a circuit that is 7km long and that requires at least 2 or 3 hours for visiting.
After security controls, we reach the main entrance where white marble is the dominant material that surrounds us. We start our visit with the picture gallery: all the pictures that are preserved here were taken from the rooms of the Pope buildings and are proposed in a chronological way. There are a lot of holy pictures of some of the most important artists of the past Giotto, Raphael, Tiziano, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio...
One of the biggest room contains huge tapestries of Raphael that had to be put in the Sistin Chapel.
From the windows and all around we can admire the accuracy of the gardens, the austerity of the buildings. We reach the so called "Courtyard of the pine cone", that dues its name to the presence, in the middle, of a bronze fountain with the shape of a pine cone that was taken from the Pigna district. In front of this idle fountain, on the opposite site, there is a sculpture of Arnaldo Pomodoro called "Sphere in the Sphere".
The visit will take you in some of the most important rooms, hallways and galleries of the building where you will have the possibility of admiring such a plenty of art of works that you will be amazed of:
- Gallery of tapestries and geographical maps;
- Raphael's rooms;
- Borgias' apartment;
... to emerge in the Sistin Chapel, where the elections of the Pope take place and where you can look at some of the most important masterpieces of Italian art.
After security controls, we reach the main entrance where white marble is the dominant material that surrounds us. We start our visit with the picture gallery: all the pictures that are preserved here were taken from the rooms of the Pope buildings and are proposed in a chronological way. There are a lot of holy pictures of some of the most important artists of the past Giotto, Raphael, Tiziano, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio...One of the biggest room contains huge tapestries of Raphael that had to be put in the Sistin Chapel.
From the windows and all around we can admire the accuracy of the gardens, the austerity of the buildings. We reach the so called "Courtyard of the pine cone", that dues its name to the presence, in the middle, of a bronze fountain with the shape of a pine cone that was taken from the Pigna district. In front of this idle fountain, on the opposite site, there is a sculpture of Arnaldo Pomodoro called "Sphere in the Sphere".- Gallery of tapestries and geographical maps;
- Raphael's rooms;
- Borgias' apartment;
... to emerge in the Sistin Chapel, where the elections of the Pope take place and where you can look at some of the most important masterpieces of Italian art.
After having observed all these works in its grandeur, we decide to leave this part of the Vatican city to try to go up to the dome of the Saint Peter Cathedral, painted by Michelangelo. It is one of the biggest example of masonry covering ever built and it conveys to the whole church the height of 130 meters. It was built in correspondence of the intersection of the main nave and the transept. Under this, in the inner part of the Cathedral, Bernini's baldachin stands. The interiors of the church are so big, so majestic and full of surprises that the whole visit could take you some hours. One of the most impressive sculpture still preserved, is "The pity" by Michelangelo that you can admire, just entered the Church, on the right.
It's getting late and our stomachs are asking for pity, so we decide to reach Trastevere, full of nice restaurants and bars. There is such a wide choice even if you have to pay attention not to be captured by traps for tourists and the choice is hard!!!
It's really very nice to walk here around, to observe street artists painting, making bubbles, playing instruments and all this conveys an idea of..magic.
We sit for lunch and we order
PASTA ALLA CARBONARA
Ingredients:
350g spaghetti
4 red eggs
100g pecorino cheese
150g bacon
salt
pepper
Dice bacon and pour it in a pan and cook it for a while until its fat has melted. In a bowl apart, beat eggs and add cheese and pepper and finally the bacon.
In the meantime boil pasta in hot salted (don't use too much salt because the dressing is already very tasty) water for the cooking time indicated on the box. Drain it and pour it in the bowl. Mix everything up and enjoiy it. May you prefer, you can add other cheese.
Soon after lunch we pass the Tevere and we stop on the bridge to observe the Tiberina island and we reach Piazza Argentina: in Rome wherever you go, you can run across ruins from the past and also this square extends itself around ancient ones.
From here, you can reach both the Altar of the Homeland or, as we prefer, the Pantheon. This monument dates back to the II century A.D. thanks to Emperor Adriano and it was built as a temple dedicated to the Gods of Olympus. The structure of this monument is really trustworthy: both the interiors and the outer part were decorated in a very precise way. On the side of the Pantheon you can taste a delicious ice cream at Cremeria Monteforte and savor it while walking around and reaching Piazza Navona....
This is Rome: a plenty of wonderful places where to taste the past at every single step.
It's getting late and our stomachs are asking for pity, so we decide to reach Trastevere, full of nice restaurants and bars. There is such a wide choice even if you have to pay attention not to be captured by traps for tourists and the choice is hard!!!
It's really very nice to walk here around, to observe street artists painting, making bubbles, playing instruments and all this conveys an idea of..magic.
We sit for lunch and we order
PASTA ALLA CARBONARA
Ingredients:
350g spaghetti
4 red eggs
100g pecorino cheese
150g bacon
salt
pepper
Dice bacon and pour it in a pan and cook it for a while until its fat has melted. In a bowl apart, beat eggs and add cheese and pepper and finally the bacon.
In the meantime boil pasta in hot salted (don't use too much salt because the dressing is already very tasty) water for the cooking time indicated on the box. Drain it and pour it in the bowl. Mix everything up and enjoiy it. May you prefer, you can add other cheese.
Soon after lunch we pass the Tevere and we stop on the bridge to observe the Tiberina island and we reach Piazza Argentina: in Rome wherever you go, you can run across ruins from the past and also this square extends itself around ancient ones.
From here, you can reach both the Altar of the Homeland or, as we prefer, the Pantheon. This monument dates back to the II century A.D. thanks to Emperor Adriano and it was built as a temple dedicated to the Gods of Olympus. The structure of this monument is really trustworthy: both the interiors and the outer part were decorated in a very precise way. On the side of the Pantheon you can taste a delicious ice cream at Cremeria Monteforte and savor it while walking around and reaching Piazza Navona....
This is Rome: a plenty of wonderful places where to taste the past at every single step.
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