The Vatican~

Our visit here in Italy continued on Monday with a tour of the Vatican. Our guide was Lorenzo~ again from the True Roman touring company!
Here Lorenzo leads us out to The St Peters Square.
We stopped for a shot together!
Lorenzo shares many facts about the square with us... in such detail! This sphere below that is on top of St Peter's is the same size as ...
as this one sitting in St Peter's Square.

We asked many questions...
We then went into the museum and were just amazed at the beauty of it all. Meigan mentioned a couple of times how she hopes to come back with Dennis, because she knows how much his religion means to him and she knows he would love to see all these paintings himself!
Many statues line the halls, many paintings on the walls and ceiling on the way to the Sistene Chapel.
Beautiful!
A copy of Michelangelo's famous work...




Sorry... this is all you will see of the Sistine Chapel. No Photos Allowed~ Inside was so surreal. To actually be there. To imagine him working so hard, at something we were told he really didn't want to do. Michelangelo would much rather sculpt than paint. Lorenzo showed us how Michelangelo "signed" his work~ by putting himself in the painting. He worked twice on the chapel. Once at about age 30 and another time at the age of 55. It was later that he "painted" himself into his masterpiece!

Inside the Basillica Of St. Peter.Michelangelo's Pieta in the Basillica of St Peter. Mary and her son, Jesus.
St Peter. Blessings to those who touch his foot.
The inside of the dome.

Baby angels... over 9 feet tall!"You are Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church", is written there in Italian.
Our picture together, leaving the Vatican. The seats behind us are set up for Wednesday, when the Pope gives a weekly address to the crowds.
One last view from the outside!