Journey to the Vatican

We got our exercise in today by walking to the Vatican and back!  At the suggestion of our guide the first day, we went via Trastevere, a neighbor on the south side of the Tiber river and much less touristy than the Rome center.  There we also visited the Villa Farnesina and the Santa Maria in Trastevere church, both containing some beautiful art.  The whole area seemed more like what we think Italy might look like.

At the Vatican we toured the museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica.  We used Rick Steves' audio guide app on our iPhones and it was very helpful.  The art we saw was incredible - the Michelangelo frescos and sculpture, the Raphael frescos, and the Bernini sculpture, among others.  The sheer size of paintings in the Sistine Chapel and the gigantic interior of Saint Peter's are awesome.  And their history and the story they tell is amazing.  Despite warnings about the crowds, we had no lines and plenty of room to see and time to stand and gawk!  Definitely the highlight of our trip so far!













So today, we're off to Florence to see where the Renaissance all began!