Vacation in Italy - Vatican City

We went to the Vatican -- Vatican City, which is not a part of Italy! -- our first day in Rome. We toured the museums, and of course, we saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Of course, we took roughly one bazillion pictures, but luckily for you, they're not all on this web site.

(Photography was not permitted in the Sistine Chapel, but lots of people were doing it, so I did too -- without a flash, however, which means they're a little blurry due to shakiness of hand during the long open shutter time, so please excuse any blurriness of those particular pictures..)

Click on any of these thumbnail images to see a larger version...

A part of the floor in one of the museum's rooms -- a mosaic.

Even the hallways of the museum were gorgeous. The ceilings were all covered with beautiful paintings like this.

A painting in the museum I thought was cool.

This is "Sphere Within Sphere" -- a piece of modern art located in the Cortile della Pigna (a courtyard).

What a great picture Kathy took!

Guards at one of the entrances.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica.

Michelangelo's Pietà (also at right) from another angle.

I wish I knew exactly what this is. I know that is Christ with St. Peter, but I don't know the other two figures.

A statue of St. Peter. His right foot is completely warn from visitors touching him there, presumably to be blessed.

A close-up of Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" which is on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel, behind the altar.

As above, but from further away, showing the altar and part of the ceiling.

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, taken from the front, looking toward the back.

Near the center of the ceiling is the famous "Creation of Adam". Not bad for a 14 year old automatic 35mm camera and no flash, eh?!

Kathy and me standing outside of St. Peter's Basilica. We are actually a long way from the front doors. There is a lot of space, then thousands of chairs between us and the doors. It is absolutely huge.

Me in this really cool stairwell in the Vatican museum. If you look, there aren't stairs; it's more of a ramp paved with angled bricks.

Inside St. Peters, this is one of the first things to catch your eye -- Michelangelo's Pietà. He created it in 1499 at the age of 25. It has been behind glass since someone "attacked" it in 1972.

Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel, behind the altar, and a few of the Frescos that line the side walls.

I honestly can't remember where I took this one. It's probably just a painting somewhere in the museum, though it seems familiar / famous.