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When you decide to take your “Roman Holiday” and view all that the Eternal City and Vatican City have to offer, you must allow yourself not only a good deal of time but also an empty memory card for your camera. The sheer volume of absolutely magnificent works of art in these cities is astounding. Between the architecture, the sculpture, the painting and everything else the city has to offer your senses will be happily overwhelmed. Arriving with your ticket in hand to any museum in Rome or the Vatican will make your visit that much better. The art draws an impressive number of visitors, which result in lines that would put most amusement park rides to shame.

St. Peter’s Square is a wonderful place to begin, and is architecturally breathtaking. The huge obelisk that represents the spot where St. Peter died and the colonnade that surrounds the open space, as well as the enormous fountain only hint at the magnificence that the price of a Vatican ticket gives you. The interior of the Basilica is truly jaw dropping. The Michelangelo predominated design of the interior is a stunning human accomplishment. Just seeing the expressions on the faces of those entering more than makes up for any time you spent waiting, twisting your Vatican ticket, train ticket and fidgeting with your camera. The structure of the Basilica allows light to enter the building from virtually any angle at virtually any time of the day; almost every stream of light that comes through one of the many windows strikes another perfect photo opportunity.

When you have managed to get your ticket to the Sistine Chapel and first arrive you may think someone has given you the wrong directions. The exterior of the building is about as plain and unembellished as could possibly be imagined. Do not ask for a refund on those Sistine Chapel tickets just yet, this is truly a “don’t judge a book by its cover” situation. The ten year restoration completed in 1994 has brought out the brilliance of frescoes that had been slowly covered by years of carbon deposits and previous restoration attempts. Michelangelo may have had some ill will about taking the commission for the project, but the resulting work is some of the best and most iconic painting that exists today. Who is not familiar with the image of the hand of God reaching for the hand of Adam? The stunning wall frescoes were completed prior to Michelangelo’s ceiling commission and were done by other Renaissance masters like Botticelli.

The relatively small price for admission to any of the amazing museums that you will find in and around Rome more than pays for itself in the stunning amount of photos that you will have to treasure forever. A few euro spent on a Vatican ticket or a Sistine Chapel ticket can give you a 2GB memory card full of photos. Then you, of course, will have to also indulge in taking photos all along the Tiber and of every one of the amazing fountains and statues that make Rome one of the most artistically significant cities in the world.

About the Author

Roberta Leoni is specializing in the history of art and she works for the Vatican Museum. She’s the founder of http://www.virtual-vatican-museums.com, a useful website offering Rome Vatican tickets and reservations for the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and the Pinacoteca Gallery.

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