The Vatican

Of course a major part of Rome is the Vatican. I’m not here to stir up debate but I’m not religious at all. And for all I was excited to see the Vatican due to its history I also had some reticence due to their history. 

But my ticket was booked. And really it is a gorgeous and impressive little country. Additionally due to some scheduling issues I ended up booking the French tour of the the Vatican. I was pleased that my school girl French held up - of course the Italian guide was also speaking French as a second language. 

It is an impressive site. It’s been there for a couple thousand years with more and more work done on it. We saw the museum where all the Greek and Roman statues are kept. They also had some old popes apartments available for viewing. 

Before arriving at the Sistine Chapel we were told that pictures are forbidden and that the guide wouldn’t be there to tell us anything. The guide not speaking was due to the moisture in our breath causing damage to the walls. 

We can’t take pictures however because a Japanese company paid for the recent restoration and now owns the copy right until 2030. There may or may not be pictures taken of the famous ceiling. 

After leaving the Vatican I got an update my mom was in Rome. By pure chance she was in Italy at the same time as me, and I had made sure to finish my trip here to see her. Her tour group was kind enough to invite me to lunch when they arrived. 

It was just great to see my mom and chat with her, and we walked around Rome a little and a drink in the Piazza Novena. After that was dinner on a roof top terrace at their hotel. Apparently it’s famous for its views. It was spectacular with the Vatican to one side and the Castle of San Angelo to the other.