Rome Trip: Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008

The start of this was the incredibly wet walk to the Borghese Museum. Although the museum was rather small, it was packed with artwork from floor to ceiling, and on every ceiling. This museum contained the collections of the Borghese family, including several works by Raphael.

After this, I went with a small group to the Vatican Museum, and Saint Peter's Basilica. This trip was a huge improvement over my last experience in the Vatican Museum. There was no line at all (as opposed to my previous wait of nearly 4 hours during the tourist season). The removal of this wait to get in allowed me to enjoy the artwork in the museum much more than before, especially the Sistine Chapel (it is tough to enjoy art immediately after standing in the hot Italian sun for 4 hours).

After the museum we visited the basilica. It has always amazed me how immense this structure is. It appears that many other churches in Rome could simply be rolled right through the front doors of Saint Peter's, if they had wheels anyway. The marblework on the inside is as incredible as its immense size. The bodies of previous popes are a little creepy however.

Inside of Saint Peter's Basilica.