When In Rome Day 3!

Day 3 and sadly, the last day of our Italian adventure. Fear not though as we're currently planning a very exciting trip to the States in September. Stay tuned!

So far there's been the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, delicious food and terrible selfies on day one and Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Constantine Arch on day two. 

Lastly then is the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica, home to some beautiful art work and much queuing/walking/standing. A recommendation- wear respectful clothing as they will stop you if you're wearing shorts or a short skirt plus you need to have your shoulders covered. I saw several women who had been caught out at the security check and had to wear long scarves tied around their waists and shoulders. Be prepared!

Himself is the master of planning and so had booked our tickets into the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel) where we visited first. This was possibly the best decision we made on this trip (being very generous to myself with that "we") because the queue to get in stretched right around the block in 30 something degree heat. That whole area is also covered in people trying to sell you their own tours etc. which aside from being a bit dodgy was also rather annoying. It was nice to be able to sail right past them. 

Panoramic view of St Peter's, surrounded by columns, statues and St Peter's Square to the front. 

Inside, the sheer size will astound you. It's classically grandiose as only the Catholic Church knows how to do- lots of gilding, lots of statues, much luxury. It's what Jesus would have wanted. 

All jokes aside though, it is very beautiful.

It was great to see the Pieta in real life too.

And lots of beautiful floors. 

The Vatican Museum is another immense building, crammed with art works of varying styles that have been collected by different popes throughout the centuries. It houses one of the largest collections of Renaissance art but also some Salvador Dali, Picasso, Francis Bacon, Van Gogh, Rodin, Kandinsky, Chagall and an impressive range of Egyptian art. 

Casual bit of violence there, himself impersonating this sculpture of a dog (I love this photo for some reason) and a small glimpse of the Egyptian art on display.

Rodin sculpture, Evil Santa hitching a lift off some fella in the nip in a Renaissance painting, random beautiful bust.

More beautiful floors.

And ceilings for that matter (although obviously their most famous ceiling is in the Sistine chapel but there's no photos allowed there!)

Lots of walls that look like this..

..and tapestries that look like this. G'wan missus, poke his eye out!

Even the stairs are a work of art!

I could easily keep showing you photos, because there are many but I'll leave it at that before you get Rome fatigue. To end our last day we went for dinner that night and then got gelato and sat at the fountains in the Piazza Navona, which was rather lovely. 

I would 100% recommend you book a trip to Italy's capital for yourself, we had a truly wonderful Vacanze Romane!

XX