July 28-31: Rome

They say Rome: a lifetime is not enough, and they are right. It took us two days to see the Vatican Museums, and we couldn’t even fit in the Colosseum. We saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Vittoriano, the Chiesa del Gesu, most of it in stifling Roman heat. It was interesting to discover that beneath all the history and monuments, Rome is quite a dirty, chaotic place. Maybe it was because we were staying in the unofficial Chinatown.

Chiesa del Gesu.

Vicky in the Vittoriano. I wonder what "limina" means.

Capitoline Hill.

Nice arch.

The Vatican was the most interesting of all. The popes have put together a rather large collection of treasures over the years, and are kind enough to display them for free once a month (and charge 25 Euro every other day). The Sistine Chapel is undoubtedly the star of the show. Like the statue of David (see Florence), it was fun to sit and watch the dodgiest members of the tourist community trying to illegally photograph or film Michelangelo’s ceiling without being caught by the guards.

Queue to enter the Vatican Musei.

That's a big head.

Typical understated Vatican ceiling.

We also visited St Peter’s Basilica, where they turn you back at the gate if you are dressed indecorously. Again, fun to watch dozens of sulky tourists in shorts or singlets protesting in vain against the fashion police.

The guards have seen it all. Including the old "map-as-shawl" trick.

And yet they let this guy in.

There’s been a lot of exposure to Catholicism in Italy. It was interesting to visit the tombs of the popes and see not only how many of popes have kicked the bucket in suspicious circumstances over the years, but also the devoted faithful kneeling and crying in front of John Paul II’s tomb.

Outside St Peter's.

Inside St Peter's.