Vatican

April 24, 2019

We joined the Roman' Guy’s Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel. “Privileged” because the tour allowed us to enter the Sistine Chapel an hour before it opened. Again, totally worth it and highly recommend it. You feel a different kind of solemnity when you’re inside the Sistine Chapel. And with a quarter of the usual crowd, it was nice to be able to find a spot to sit down and just stare at Michelangelo’s masterpiece. Although, I will admit it caused a bit of a crick in my neck. Actually, the entire tour of the Vatican Museums will do that to you. It’ll have you looking up, down and at all sides of a room. Every surface area of all the rooms we went to were heavily ornamented. Learned from our tour guide, Rafa, that popes in early history used to be chosen among the richest and most influential men of society so I guess it makes sense for the rooms to be ostentatious.

Another random fun fact I remember from our tour: a priest(I could be wrong about this part. Basta someone of influence in the church lol) was strongly against all the nudity in Michelangelo’s work and rallied to have it changed because it was “vulgar.” Obviously, this angered the grand artist and as revenge, Michelangelo gave Minos, the god of the underworld, this priest’s face. Minos, of course, was naked albeit a snake biting his manhood. LOL so now their fight is immortalized for the world to see and to keep retelling to future generations. I honestly love hearing stories like this that shows even the great men and women of our history can be human and petty sometimes.

Watch video recap here.

Ornate from floor…

To walls,

Ceiling

And doors!

I kept seeing that scene from Angels and Demons in my head.

Contrary to popular belief, Mike did not spontaneously combust into ash upon entering the Vatican. There just might be some good in him after all.