Rome: Part 2

As Laura &I looked back on our trip on our long flight back to the US, we both agreed that our favorite  stop was the Vatican. You could spend a week in this place alone! We saw all the Raphael, Caravaggio, and Michelangelo; we saw a huge collection of classical Greek & Roman sculptures (my fav); we saw dozens of elaborately painted ceilings (this is what you could spend a week just craning your neck admiring). There was an entire room dedicated to topographical maps (that were all as huge as my car) of Italy from the 1500s. 

And, of course, we saw the Sistine Chapel. We were not allowed to take pictures, but seriously. It was more amazing than you could imagine. On a spiritual level as well as artistic. What I didn't realize or remember from Art Appreciation 101 is that in the Sistine Chapel on the massive wall underneath Michelangelo's famous painting is Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. Seeing it in person gave me such an appreciation for the painting that I had to buy a print and it is now hanging in my front room to scare my children into being obedient.

This is Laura and I in the courtyard of the Vatican.

 Some of the many frescoed ceilings in the Vatican.

 I love this sculpture. Apparently the man is the god of nature and the baby is the god of wine.

 Each room was more magnificent than the last.

 ...and each ceiling more intricate and ornate.

The Vatican is one museum I think even Josh would appreciate!