Day 2 - All Roads, or at least quite a few of them, lead to the Vatican

We had three activities prebooked based on recommendations and certainly see the value as we walked up to our first one early this morning.  There was already an enormous queue along the side of the Vatican waiting for it to open.  Thankfully, we met our booked guide (the very unItalian Tiffany from Indiana) who lead us in past the throng of bright coloured jackets of tourists and into the modern entrance. 

The company, Viatour, was recommended on the Lonely Planet's online forum site Thorn Tree, and wasn't cheap.  But in the end I would agree that it was good value having someone take us through in an efficient manner, providing a decent overview of the entire series of museums and highlighting specific rooms and pieces of note.  It's a huge complex and quite overwhelming to anyone who didn't know what they were getting into.

My favourite room is the Map Room - I have always been a bit of a map fan, and these wall sized illustrations of the various parts of Italy and the ancient world with little towns drawn in and wild seabeasts beyond the boundaries of the known world (as was) hazarded at fascinate me. 

It's hard not to be awed by the enormous tapesties and the rather zealous use of marbles of garish hue all mosaicked together just because they could.   And of course Rapahel and Michelangelo.  I mean - Raphael and Michelangelo!  What else to say? 

I'd been here before, on a backpacking trip in January, way, way back in 1984 when Italy was cheap, the traffic was wild, and the noise of vespas overwhelmed conversation.  At that time, the Sistine chapel was being restored and practically off limits.  It was great to see it properly this time, and that small sections had been left 'unrestored' to show the difference centuries of grime had made on the colours.  That's my favourite part of Grand Central Terminal in New York too, gazing up to find that one little patch of dark, unrestored green 'sky'.

We were also lucky to see St. Peter's during a special day, with all the white candles out and lit.  We saw where the body of Pope JPII will be transferred at the end of April when he is beatified, and also where he is currently resting, down in the crypt.  I love crypts, although this one was not the dusty maze usually found in ancient houses of worship.  This one could win the Good Housekeeping award.  It was like someone's wine cellar, or a rather well realized restaurant concept, with wide spotless paths, well lit niches and carved raised blocks that could be eccentric tables if they weren't tombs of the Popes.  Knowing that St. Peter really was crucified in this spot did add something that most crypts could only dream about.