A Virtual Tour

With the Vatican looming on the horizon in almost every skyline photo I snapped, I was reminded that my business trip to Rome would have a gaping hole without one or two stops at my "in-the-cross-hairs" destination.  I'll admit that it was business first, but not at the expense of missing the Vatican including St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum especially the Sistine Chapel.

Having purchased an on-line ticket to the Museum, I avoided an early morning 1/4-mile line at the ticket office by going directly to the gate.  A 10-second wait instead of a hour or so made for a good start.  A fast-paced walk through all the exhibits brought me to the Chapel already filled with curious tourists and those appreciating the history and meaning of all the biblical references to the Old Testament.

Visual overload!  Colors and images overwhelmed the senses, but what a sight!  Seeing the Chapel in all its glory and magnificence, I plopped myself down on a bench against the wall and twisted my head around and around, up and down to take it all in.  Impossible, yet with Rick Steve's Rome Guidebook in hand, I worked my way across the ceiling and down to the far wall depicting the Last Judgment with Jesus and Mary at top center surrounded by heavenly angels, the righteous dead, the damned, and figures from hell.

No pictures allowed!!  Binoculars needed to appreciate the details.  Understanding the reason, but still disappointed, I left and toured the Museum.  Later on I found a way: a virtual on-line tour.  

This amazing tour allows free movement and close-up examination of the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's masterpiece.  According to many art scholars, the Chapel's ceiling is the single greatest work of art by any one human being.  You be the judge.

Deacon David Pierce