Day 18 – Rome

We have done a lot today mostly around the Vatican area. After breakfast we headed for the Vatican museums and joined the very long queue. Thankfully it moved relatively quickly and we were in within one and a half hours. The museums house huge amounts of art ranging from Ancient Egyptian tombs and statues right up to modern religious art. Also they contain many treasures that the Catholic church has acquired over its long history.

The highlights of the museums were the Egyptian collections, Raphael’s rooms, some of the the modern art section (particularly a couple of Dali paintings) and, of course, the Sistine Chapel which has to be seen to be believed.

After 3 hours in the museums we went to St Peter’s square and Bascilica. They are both huge and very highly decorated. It was surprising that neither were particularly crowded but maybe it’s because the Pope is on his holidays.

After this we returned to our hotel to to change for dinner. We are in a very nice restaurant near the Pantheon and headed back for a much needed rest.