Rome, day 1

Today we visited the smallest country in the world (106 acres), and no doubt, the richest, by far, per capita. Talk about the 0.000001 percent! No wonder the reformation happened. If there had been a second coming the money tables would have been flying around St. Peter's square....whoops, did my Protestant roots just come out?

So if my dominant impression is unprecedented opulence, I nevertheless have a newfound admiration for the artists who served the Vatican, and I do appreciate that their works are preserved for all to see. Michelangelo is my renaissance hero, and having now seen the Sistine Chapel, my reverence is invigorated. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures. Rick Steve's audio guide was a great, though too brief, description of the magnificent frescoes.

The Raphael rooms were astonishing as well, and I can show a picture or two of those.



My favorite was the School of Athens, with all those famous Greek gods of scholarship; Plato, Aristotle, and all those dudes.



Love the fact that Raphael stuck Michelangelo in there.



And of course they raided the tombs of the pharoahs because one pope loved all things Egyptian.



Statues galore, including some oddities




And the ceilings themselves were as ornate and beautiful as what was hung on the walls sometimes.



With all this precious art, it was reassuring to know the Swiss guards were in charge of security, armed with a crazy long axe-like object. Sigh.



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Location:The Vatican