Vatican Museums, Rome

After our audience with the Pope in the morning, we visited the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel. It was a short walk from St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) to the museums. Due to the large attendance to see the Pope, the Vatican Museums were packed; shoulder to shoulder, including the Sistine Chapel. It was hard to see a lot of the displays for this reason. The Sistine Chapel was the most impressive!

The Vatican Museums (Italian: Musei Vaticani) are the museums of the Vatican City and are located within the city's boundaries. They display works from the immense collection built up by the Popes throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. The Sistine Chapel with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and the Stanze della Segnatura decorated by Raphael are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums.

The following pictures are from our walk from St. Peter's Square to the Vatican Museum and inside the museums. Note that no photos were allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.

Outside of St. Peter's Square. Looking past the archways, one can see some of the numerous columns from the Square.

Notice the crowds waiting to get into St. Peter's Basilica. This was after the audience with the Pope.

The following photos are from in and around the Vatican Museums.