Cheesy grinner that often wears jumpers that match the sky!!!
Cheesy grinner that often wears jumpers that match the sky!!!
Member since:19.02.2004
Reviews:7
Members who trust:1
As you all know by now if you have my read previous reviews I spent the summer of 2002 in Italy. The Vatican city of course was on my list of places to visit including the Vatican Museum.
The first thing to note when visiting these museums is to make sure your knees and shoulders are covered. This is easily forgotten in the heat of Italy, but it is essential. Tickets to the museum cost 10 Euros (well they did in 2000) and if my memory serves me well check the opening times (something rings a bell in my head but I cannot remember precisely what..sorry folks!)
On entry to the museum be prepared to be searched and have any luggage examined...it's rather like being at an airport, and then be prepared to walk!! The museum is big...give yourself plenty of time! The museum is not big on guide books but many of the items will have a audio symbol next to it and if you collect an audio guide as you enter you will learn much about the collection this way. In fact this selects what you look at. It's a good way of seeing the best without spending your whole holiday in the museum.
I won't bore you here with everything that's inside, I'm sure that there is good websites etc that can do that. But the map collection is particulary interesting and beautiful and the many statues, busts etc from the Roman period are especially beautiful. The building itself is spectatular...look at the ceilings...which takes me to the Sistine Chapel.
The beeline for most is to the Sistine Chapel, Michaeangelo's masterpiece, and it really is that. It's stunning! Inside you are meant to remain silent..but no one is, although the stewards do try and enforce it (bless 'em!) . The noise of the visitors and the sheer volume of them really does spoil it, but worth seeing nontheless. The staff really are lucky being able to see it in silence on their own.
For those that just have to eat everywhere they go, including me, the musuem has a restaurant.. It's very clean and new and serves reasonable food, couldn't have any complaints.
On the way out of the museum take time to stop and look at the magnificent staircase you descend, its all worked copper (I think) . Too many people just rush down it, but for me it was one of my favourite things.
As with many museums in Italy you may not find much English labelling so is always worth learning a little Italian and if I were to visit the Vatican Museum again I would certainly read up on the collection before I went. Although I enjoyed it I feel I did not get the best out of it I could, purely because I went in their blindly, but at least that way you will get the most pleasant surprises.
Pictures of The Vatican Museums
Vatican Museum
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Feb 23rd, 2004
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