The Vatican Museums Part I

It's good to be the king....it's also better to get to crown the king, give him temporal power, holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven and getting 10% of everything from everyone doesn't hurt either. This wearing of the triple crown has allowed the Vatican to, for the past 2000+ years amass one of the greatest treasures in history. Luckily, we are allowed to see some of this hoarded wealth, although it's anyone's guess what's in the basements, attics and storerooms of the many palazzi around the world.

The very long, long, long, long, long long, long, long, long, long, long line to get into the Vatican Museums.....which stretch all the way down and around the walls for miles....UNLESS.....you heed my sage advice.

[ This image by David Illif]

 If you plan on going, DO NOT TAKE THE TOUR! We did the first time we visited Rome and were told it would be a skip the line/ 'private' tour.......250 Euro later...we found ourselves huddled down the halls to the Capella Sistina with the other 3000+ people who had also booked 'private' tours....a friend booked a new improved 'private' tour.... before it opens...after it closes...see hidden treasures! ....500 Euro and found herself in with 3000+ other people who had booked the same tour! BEWARE!!!! book your tickets online to the Museum 38 Euro!!!!!! and go at your own pace....and skip the line....just walk to the door on the right, the nice guards will let you right thru and then head straight for the ticket booth....enter the museums.....you'll have to jostle the folks on those 'private' tours....but you wont see them again for hours..... We found ourselves in almost empty rooms....until you reach the Halls to the Sistine.....then you have no choice but to take a breath and jump in.

[ This image by Lalupa]

The Court of the Pine Cone at the center of the museum. The wings on the right house the long halls to the Sistine Chapel......avoid these until you see the rest of the museums behind the pine cone, hardly ever seen by those who take the tour.

One of the courtyards to the Belvedere

We stopped at the post office to send a letter...it was worth it because you get to see this wonderful ramp

The Belvedere Octagon

As you can see by these pictures [mine],  EMPTY....just get there early, skip the line and head right to the Pio Clementino

The Apollo Belvedere on display, but his legs are being worked on.

Cleopatra

The Laocoon

A side table in the Hall of the Animals

A niche at the end of the hall holding a boy and his dog.

I will have to say, this is  most confusing, least tagged museum I've ever been in...nothing is marked...the map makes no sense......there is no rhyme or reason to anything.....so read up first...that said, it's also one of the greatest for ancient art, your eyes will not have a rest for hours and it will take days to process.

The tub in the center is said to have belonged to the ill fated  Poppaea Sabina, Nero's second wife

Looking up

Ric walking down the hall towards Zeus

The Sleeping Ariadne  [ below]  and  Zeus occupy opposite ends of this very long double hall

The ceiling above the Belvedere Torso

The torso itself. We made it here just before the crowds that swarm in front of this. NONE WILL BUDGE.

This huge tazza is said to have belonged to Nero, no one knows what it was used for. The floors are great old mosaics from the Thermal Baths of Otricoli and there are numerous heroic statues around the room which is modeled after the Pantheon.

There are two very large red sarcophogi held by beautiful animals, above is the Helena Sarcophagus

These lionesses are fantastic

Looking back thru the huge doorway flanked by porphyry statues of Antinuous

Getting thru these rooms takes about 2-3 hours...assuming you really look at most everything and then there's The Pinacoteca and the Egyptian Museum, The Chiaramonte, The Gregoriano Etruscan, The Modern Collections in the Borgia Rooms, the Rafael Rooms, The Hall of Maps and Tapestries and finally, the Sistine Chapel.....all before you get to Saint Peter's, by which time you desperately need a gelato.

And you'll wonder why the Vatican doesn't contribute one day's proceeds and force all of those 

'private ' tour companies and souvenir shops to do the same...to end hunger.....it makes you really want to be a Franciscan or better yet a Domincan like Savonarola....but the art is just too pretty to destroy!