The Vatican

 The first time I visited Rome, in 2004, I think, I was so excited to go to the Vatican museums.   There is so much truly amazing art that I really wanted to see!   I was particularly interested in Raphael, who I had just read a book about and was really psyched to see his work, maybe even more than Michaelangelo.  

Well our tour was speedy and relatively brief. To be honest I had no idea that the museums there were so vast, or that we had relatively limited time.   I grudgingly accepted that I was not going to see the things I wanted to see, and as we headed at a fast clip for an overcrowded Sistine Chapel that we had 15 minutes for, I promised myself, that I would be back. 

Today, I was back.  And I planned only the Vatican for this day.   For my Protestant friends and family who may be more critical about the place that the Vatican has in the world, and that the Catholic Church has in the world, let us be reminded that this church has been the way to God for so many people over time, that indeed our churches grew out of it, and there was only one Church for the 12 centuries between the real unity of the Catholic Church after Constantine and the reformation in the 16th century.   

The art in the museums is amazing.  The Christian art, which comes from all ages of the church from the ancient to the modern, reminds us that for most of history, the common person could not read, and the task of the artists was to bring that common person to God, which they do in a way that still resonates with us today.  In addition, through a number of special collections, the Vatican includes cultures, including non-Christian cultures, from around the world in the wealth of beauty that they showcase and care for.    I am grateful for the art that the Catholic Church has maintained over the ages, and I was glad to spend some time here. 

Some of it (Laacoon, the Belvedere torso) I remembered from my first visit, and I was glad to see these old friends.  It was fabulous to linger over the hall of tapestries, find Naples and my ancestral town of Solofra in the map room, and to really linger in the Rafael rooms, which had been skipped on my first trip through.  The School of Athens was just amazing.   I also have to say, going through the Borgia apartments, that had I been Pope Julius, I think I would have found these rooms just fine, and might not have insisted on a redecorate of the other set of rooms.  But then we would not have had these amazing artworks in the Raphael rooms.   

I spent a good half hour in the Sistine chapel, until I had heard the audio guide and indeed had really drunk in everything.  By the time I was finished, I then made my leisurely way out checking out the contemporary exhibition and some of the exhibits, newly refreshed, from the South Pacific.

I’d spent three and a half hours here, and it was almost time for lunch.   I’d gone ahead and arranged for a full menu lunch (it will be my big meal of the day) in the pine court, reasoning that if I had not had my fill of the Vatican Museums, I could duck back in.   I could have, but I was getting a tad tired, and I still had St. Peter’s to visit!

I’ll spare you a blow by blow on St. Peter’s, except to say that it is mostly BIG, with a bunch of amazing art, including Michelangelo’s Pieta, which was a favorite of my mother’s, and Raphael’s Transfiguration, which is one of mine.  There is also a moving statue of Juliana Falconieri, a Florentine saint for whom I am named.   And it gave me a chance to pray. 

By the time I was done with everything, it was after 3 and I was tired!   So I headed right back to my hostel for a nap and a shower, and now, at almost 7, I’m headed out for a little bit of pizza for a light dinner.