"Vatican - last stop."

The instructions said that bus 62 from Piazza de Torre Argentina would take us to the Vatican. It didn't mention that it stops there coming and going. The result was that we were congratulating ourselves while being borne in wholly the wrong direction. Realising this, Lyn asked the driver who said, "Vatican last stop", then got off the bus and wandered off! Nobody seemed to take this amiss, so we stayed till, returning some minutes later, we headed off - back the way we had come. We managed to take over an hour for a 10-minute trip. 

Arrived at Vatican Museum 45 minutes late to see the sweltering enormous queue of those waiting to buy tickets on the left (the damned) - and the brisk file of those who had pre-bought their tickets on the right (the smug). Joined the latter and moved inside. It was overwhelmingly crowded at first, but we moved fairly briskly because we'd seen our fill of Roman sculpture and it took a highlight to slow us down. Laocoon was worth stopping for - and so was coffee and cake in the blessedly uncrowded courtyard of the Holy Bronze Pinecone and the Giant Snitch. (This may not have been its actual official name.)

Leon with the Holy Bronze Pinecone

Lyn with the Giant Snitch

Back into a series of spectacular galleries of old maps and tapestries - and what is it about ceilings in Rome? Every room has a great ceiling! The map corridor (perhaps not the real name again) was typical.

Then things got really crowded! First there were the papal apartments decorated by Raphael. Credit to Raphael, he seems to have somehow managed to paint everything as if it glowed from within. I had no idea that "The School of Athens" was just a small part of Papal interior decorating that rivals the Sistine Chapel for years of effort and final effect.

Speaking of the Sistine Chapel...what a scrum! Has it occurred to anyone in this country that, while it is fair enough to remind tourists that respectful silence is appropriate in churches and chapels, that the effect of constant requests to keep moving and take no photos and quiet please in 5 languages is somewhat counterproductive. 

I liked the ceiling and Lyn thought the "Last Judgement" was interesting. Another amazing Rafael in the Pinoteca and then it was wine, pizza and salad in a restaurant.

Off to St Peter's which really is really big. This is Lyn in front of "Plastic Chair Square" in front of St Peter's Basiica.

We saw security reject one guy. He was wearing a T-Shirt that appeared to be advocating terrorism. What was he thinking this morning? 

Inside at last. It was very affecting. I've wanted to see the Pieta my whole life. I know what it looks like. I was still overwhelmed by it. What sort of guy was Michelangelo that he could design something the scale of the dome of St Peter's, something as innovative as the double helix staircase in the Vatican museum, something as restrained as the Capitoline square and then carve the Pieta?

I left the Vatican today with an overwhelming feeling of waste. The church should keep the 10 best examples of everything it has squirrelled away here, and flog off the rest. They then might have half a chance to properly display it all, they could disperse the rest to museums all over the world (where they could also give it all the prominence it deserves) and squizillions could be raised for worthy causes. The goodwill would be useful too...

We got to see lots of Swiss guards - but most were in the uniform you wear when you are denying entry to people wearing terrorist T-shirts. This guy though was fully equipped to defend his outhouse against marauding Protestants.

My final thought for the day is that Michelangelo might well have been gay - but a girl who looked like this must have mattered to him.

Tomorrow we are off to Pompeii - if we can find the right bus.