One hustle was worth enduring all the rest. A young woman convinced us to take a “Skip the Line” tour of the Vatican. The regular tickets were 16 euros and we paid 50. But after skipping the LONG lines and crowds and having a guided tour in English, it was definitely worth it. The Vatican has millions of visitors each year and it felt like they were all there on the same day we were. We started with the Vatican museum. It was overwhelming walking past hundreds and thousands of historic art treasures, room after room. There were just too many to capture.
Then we came to the Sistine Chapel. It was breathtaking. It was a smaller room than I expected, having just come from the Vatican museum. The famous paintings by Michelango, including The Creation and The Final Judgment were remarkable and the colours were vivid. We weren’t allowed to talk or take videos or photographs so you will need to take my word on it.
St. Peter’s Basilica was equally jaw-dropping. It can hold up to 200,000 people at a time and every part of the walls and ceilings were embedded with rich paintings, sculptures and carvings.
Vatican City was rich not only in spiritual heritage but artistic and historical treasures. A must-see. I saw what I wanted to see but I was happy to leave this hustling, bustling city for the Amalfi Coast.