Friday I went to the Vatican museum, and I honestly don't think I have the words to describe what it was like. Imagine walking through a giant palace and every new room you turn into is mind-blowingly beautiful and filled with incredible ancient art and treasure, to the capacity that it's impossible to even take it all in at once. It was amazing and one of my most favorite experiences yet here in Rome. But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you about the whole day, since it was all quite an experience.
We started off by going to the Pantheon early in the morning, since I had only as of yet seen the outside of the Pantheon, not the inside. The Pantheon was originally built in 126 AD as a temple to the Roman gods, but in the 7th century it was converted to a Catholic church, and is dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs. It is one of the best preserved buildings in Rome and certainly one of the most incredible churches I have yet to be inside.
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| The Pantheon's dome is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome |
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| My friend took this picture while we were all staring up at aforementioned dome |
After seeing the Pantheon, we got some pizza for lunch and set off for the Vatican. We spent a good part of the day in the museum, but I don't think we saw even half of what there is to see, there's just so much there. What I did see though... an original Caravaggio: The Entombment of Christ, the Raphael Rooms, including The School of Athens, a corridor filled with ancient sculptures, incredible Gothic art from the medieval times, beautiful courtyards, and of course, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
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| Just. Look. At. This. |
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| The Sistine Chapel (picture compliments of a friend) |
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| Technically you're not supposed to take photos inside... |
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| The School of Athens in the Raphael Rooms |
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| Imagine every wall painted like this |
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| Me, be-dazed after the Vatican |
I'm definitely planning to go back at some point, probably on my own, just to wander the museum all day and stare at everything for as long as I want. Right now, my neck is a little sore from all the craning and staring up at the ceilings!
After walking around the Vatican all day, we had just enough time to take a quick bus up a hill to see one of the most gorgeous views of the city as the sun was setting.
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| I can see my house from here! (Just kidding...) |
