Italy Day Two: Visiting the Vatican and Exploring Rome

On our first full day in Rome we spent the morning at the Vatican. Our trip included a guided tour of some of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Basilica and Saint Peter's Square.

Standing in front of Saint Peter's Basilica!

A ceiling in one of the museums.

The Sistine Chapel was absolutely amazing to see! I don't have any pictures from inside because we were not supposed to take any - although most people were completely ignoring that rule. It was kind of disappointing how most people were disregarding that rule as well the rule that requested silence. Our tour guide was very upset about it, and I think it would have been more moving had the chapel actually been quiet. In any case, I loved seeing Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. I've seen it in books and such countless times, but I just stood there a while gazing at the ceiling and tried to take in the fact that this was actually it. 

Saint Peter's Basilica was also breath-taking and contains Michelangelo's Pietà.


After we returned back to Rome from the Vatican, we were free to walk around Rome in smaller groups. Some friends and I went to the Spanish Steps and then spent time exploring around Rome a bit.