11 October 2019 - Morning - The Vatican

Friday morning was set aside for a tour of the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.  I had booked this ahead of time online with TripAdvisor.  On the way I needed to stop by a BNL cash machine (part of the Global ATM Alliance that includes Bank of America) to replenish my cash reserves.

Our English tour group met across the street from the entrance to the Vatican Museum.  We each received a receiver and ear-buds to hear our guide.  (This was critical as there were literally dozens of groups touring at the same time!)

N.B.  the orb  in the foreground is the
same circumference as the one on top
of the dome in the background.

Our tour guide - with hand raised and flag.

Not a painting, but a huge mosaic
made of tiles as small as 1/8"!

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and interesting.  Before starting through the Vatican Museum area, she gave us a detailed explanation of what we would see in the Sistine Chapel.  Guides must leave their groups, and silence is to be kept while in the Chapel - and no photography of any kind would be allowed.  She would meet us at the exit of the Chapel to continue on to St. Peter's Basilica.

I did take quite a few photos inside St. Peter's, but there are better photos available online than mine.  There was even a wedding taking place in a side chapel that was specifically for weddings.  We were told that a reservation for a St. Peter's wedding has to be seven years in advance!  All the beautiful colors inside are NOT of paintings.  The low altitude, proximity to the Tiber, etc., meant that anything painted would only last a century or two.  No. Everything of color inside the Basilica is either marble or mosaic.  Even what looks like a huge painting (above) is made up of tiny bits of tile.  You really need to be within a few feet of it to see the pieces!

I also took the extra tour up to the top of the dome.  (I had done the same at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and to the "Terraces" - the roof of the Duomo in Milan.)  The first part, up to the roof of the transept, I took the elevator.  It was another perfect day, weather-wise, so I took some good photos.

From the transept roof.

The roof of the nave.

The sanctuary from inside the dome.

Up close of dome mosaics.

The dome from the walk-way.

  
From the inside walk-way the steps continuing up to the copula started out as a wide spiral, but changed to metal stairs, zigzagging at angles towards the copula.

After I finished touring the Basilica, I took some photos of St. Peter's Square on my way back to my room.  You can see the thousands of plastic chairs - quite weathered since most large events are held outdoors these days.

I walked everywhere in Rome - between 5 and 10 miles a day.  On this day, I got back to my room around 2:00, and took a nap before going out for the evening.