Vatican City – a landlocked independent country gaining independence from Italy in 1929. At 121 acres it is the smallest state in the world by area and population.
After stepping across the ‘boundary’ into this country, we came across the double-helix staircase. Eric assumed we were going down the staircase – no. You can see him in the blue shirt and backpack. He had to hurry back up to join the tour.
We stopped at this balcony to get a photo of St. Peter’s dome before exploring the treasures of the Vatican.
Our first little portico we stopped at had these statues.
This twisted archway was different and interesting.
Leading us to this rotunda of statues, with the dome reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome.
Everyone is always looking up but artwork also abounds on the floor – like this floral mosaic.
One hallway was dedicated to tapestries.
Right before we walked through the map room.
No photos are allowed within the Sistine Chapel. I searched on the internet and found this shot which I liked. A lot of story-telling going on and our tour guide educated us on the different panels before walking through. While we were there, prayers were given in several languages, making it a bit more realistic and special. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior.
One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke, which is created by burning the ballots of the election, appears, a new Pope has been elected. If no candidate receives the required two-thirds vote, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.
The last part of our tour was St Peter’s Basilica. It is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure.
The dome was closed for touring, but I could get a shot without showing (much) of the scaffolding.
Most of the alter was also blocked but I could squeeze in a tiny photo from the side.
St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom. There is sooooooo much to this place. It was one of our last activities in Rome and took me quite a while to go through the large number of photos I took.
Ginny
Darden Travels 