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| INSIDE THE VATICAN MUSEUM |
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| EGYPTIAN COFFIN |
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| PERSEUS & THE MEDUSA |
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| ELABORATELY DECORATED CEILING IN VATICAN MUSEUM |
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| CEILING OF SISTINE CHAPEL |
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| BASILICA OF SAN PIETRO IN BACKGROUND |
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| INSIDE THE BASILICA OF SAN PIETRO |
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| PIAZZA SAN PIETRO |
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| OUR LAST SUPPER (BEFORE FLYING HOME) |
Fortunately, my injured shin did not spoil Tuesday's visit to the Vatican, a final 'must see' during our visit to Rome. It would have been an hour's walk from the guest house so we took the Metro to get there. The queue to the Vatican Museum was long, and we had to resist constantly being hassled by 'guides' offering us the opportunity to 'skip the line' by paying twice the normal €16 ticket price for their guided tours.
As it happened, queuing under the shade of Vatican City wall was not unpleasant and it only took about half an hour before we were inside.
We were obviously keen to see the Sistine Chapel, but getting there involved passing through many other wonderfully decorated rooms packed with statues, paintings and historical artefacts. It was all very interesting stuff, especially the Egyptian displays, and undoubtedly worth a fortune. When we finally reached the Chapel it was packed with people looking up in admiration at Michelangelo's famous fresco-painted walls and ceilings. It spite of the 'No Photography' signs, Rubi sneaked in a few discreet shots without using flash.
It was past 2 o'clock by then, so we went back to the canteen near the Museum entrance only to discover that there yet more galleries to view, stuffed with yet more paintings, tapestries and items from all around the world that had been gifted to the various popes.
After resting our legs in the Vatican garden for a while, we exited the museum and walked around the city wall to Piazza San Pietro from which the Basilica of San Pietro can be accessed through a security barrier. I was carrying my first aid kit, which contained scissors and a knife, so a bit of explanation was required before the security guard would let me through.
The next barrier to get through was the 'clothing police'. Hats had to be removed and several girls with 'disrespectfully short' skirts were turned back.
The basilica was bigger inside than it looked from the outside, and was opulently decorated with marble of differing colours, and filled with many statues, including those of previous popes. The voices of the choir singing in the background made the visit very atmospheric. It felt like a fitting finale to our holiday.
By the time we left San Pietro the sky had darkened, and a thunderstorm broke just as we were passing back through the Piazza. We dodged the rain and crossed back over the Tiber as we made our way towards Giolitti's ice cream shop for a final 'hit' before departing Rome. Usually the shop was packed inside and out, but the rain had clearly driven the customers away so we could enjoy our ice cream under cover inside. By the time we finished the rain had stopped and the streets were already drying.
Supper was an excellent meal at the same place we had eaten when we visited the Colosseum - the mere €20 they charged us included a litre of Frascati wine which we later wondered if we should have drunk. In any case, we certainly slept well.
Roberta had prepared breakfast early for us on our final morning, and gave us two hard-boiled eggs to eat on the plane. The Leonardo Express took us back to Fuimicino Airport and by early afternoon we were in the air heading back to the UK. It had been a full holiday, the weather had been excellent, and we had seen all that we had planned to see, and more.
Unfortunately, work awaited us both in the morning.