VATICAN and St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica Vatican 2019

After a morning arrival in Rome, we paid the standard cab fare to the Raganelli hotel, which kindly  allowed us to put our things in our room. We purchased transit tickets at the desk and headed to the tiny walled city-country, The Vatican, without a map.













Rather than wait in a long line, we paid for a guided tour and headed straight in to the Vatican Museums.

From floor to ceiling, the art work is incredible.











































Check out this photo that garnered a lot of photo attention--the eyes of Jesus appear to follow onlookers as they pass along the corridor.





We went in the Sistine Chapel, which was consecrated 15 August 1483. Photography is prohibited, but that did not stop the throng from taking pictures of the famous ceiling. See photos at their website.

St Peter's Basilica is the last stop on the way to the plaza. It truly is a marvellous Basilica. Work began 18 April 1506 and was completed in 1615. It is the largest church and traditional burial site of the apostle, St Peter.

























The Pietà (pity) by Michelangelo (1498-1499) depicts Jesus and Mary is one of many sculptures and works of art within the basilica.

Pieta by Michelangelo

The traditional Swiss guards are outside and attract considerable attention by selfie hunters.

















Before leaving Rome, we returned to St Peter's in order to climb to the top of the dome (aka the cupola). There is a lift to the roof level, which will save 320 out of 551 steps. We climbed the entire way. The staircase is very narrow in parts. There is a small fee. In 2019 we paid 8 euros each.

There are some incredible views of the inside of St Peter's and of the surrounding area.

View of St Peter's Basilica from inside the dome.

Dome of St Peter's Basilica

Sample of nearby wall in the dome of St Peter's Basilica

Some views from the roof of St Peter's Basilica










Who's on top





Looking up at the top of the dome.







Notes

We think it was worth it to purchase a tour of the Vatican Museums and skip the long line. However, more time would have been nice.

St Peter's is clearly worth seeing by anyone who appreciates art.

If I were to go to the dome again, I would use the lift, but may that's because I'm 69-years old.

You can get refreshments in the small cafe on the roof outside the dome.

See the other cities we visited in ITALY

Connections

   My Page    www.suttong.com

   My Books   AMAZON     GOOGLE PLAY STORE

   FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

   PINTEREST  www.pinterest.com/GeoffWSutton

Publications (many free downloads)

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)     

  ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton   (PhD)