Saturday was the day for the Vatican. Not just for us, but for many others. As we are in the heart of spring break, and heading into Easter, Rome is packed. Not in a "it's a huge hassle and you can't really get around" kinda way, but more of a "wow, there are a lot of people at the main sights" kinda way.
After enjoying the family tour of Pompeii by Nello, we were hopeful for our family tour of the Vatican. It was definitely the right way to see it. In Italy, private guides are supposed to be licensed by each region. To become licensed, a person must spend an amount of time in training, and then pass what we're told is a fairly rigorous test. A guide who is licensed in Lazio (the region that includes Rome) can not guide in Tuscany.
Our guide was an older Italian woman named Grazia. Her English is very good, although she had the Italian speaking style of adding "a" onto many words and speaking almost in a sing-song voice. Every so often it took me a moment to translate her English into English. For example, she pronounced "Baroque" as "Barack," so the first time she said it I thought Senator Obama was so special he invented his own school of art (turns out that's true only according to the American media).
She was a great guide -- focused on showing us important art works, sharing historical facts, but not bludgeoning us with information or sights. She did a nice job of highlighting contrasting art styles for us (admittedly a sentence I never thought I would write), and she laughed at my irrelevant jokes. For example, one over the top monument to a Pope done by Bernini, I noted that the artist, "really went for Baroque on that one." She and Carol both laughed at my reach, whereas Julia did the teenage girl thing and was totally embarassed by her dad (which is important to raising her right). (On Grazia, it's hard not to like people who laugh at my jokes.)
As we drove up to the Vatican in the taxi, the 10am line stretched for the length of ten football fields. Our line (the guided line, which opens at 8am) stretched a long way as well -- maybe two football fiels. However, upon getting in the line, we found that it moved quite quickly, and we maybe had a 15 minute wait, moving closer all the time.
Inside, past security, the place was jammed with huge groups. She expertly threaded us past those groups, and we scooted upstairs to completely empty ticket windows. Then, we went further up (the visitor's center is new, completed for the turn of the century), where she proceeded to, using a large display, explain the various paintings (and styles) of the Sistine Chapel.
We had a scary moment when Maddy went pale and nearly passed out, but Carol got her to sit down with her head between her knees. Maddy improved. It was a bit hot in that part of the building, and Grazia's explanation, while interesting, went on a bit long for Maddy.
Off we went, going through courtyards and galleries of the Museum. At first we were very lucky, with hardly any one around in the areas Grazia was taking us, but after a bit we were caught up in the crowds making their way to the Sistine Chapel. Before that, however, she pointed out examples of the different art styles, including some ancient Greek sculptures that served as inspiration for Michelangelo.
After the sculptures, Roman art, tapestries,, and map galleries, we joined the line for the Sistine Chapel. It's hard to say what's more impressive -- whether it's the fact that Michelangelo had never done a painting before, or that it "only" took four years to do -- even though he was working on his back. That guy is pretty good.
I had seen the Sistine Chapel in 1984, but it's been restored since to more natural colors rather than the graying tones. Armed with information on what exactly is going on in the scenese on the ceiling, the sides, and the Judgement Day painting done later by Michelangelo (there he is again), I was able to appreciate the art far beyond where I was in 1984 (as a 21 year old college student).
After leaving the Sistine Chapel, we hoofed through Bernini-carved walkways, and down under the Cathedral to the crypt where the popes are buried. Walking past John Paul II's tomb was a reverential moment for Carol and I. Although we are not Catholic, we recognize what a great leader he was, particularly influential in helping provide faith and hope to many during the fall of Communism.
(A brief political interlude. . .Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II deserve more recognition for providing the vision and leadership to both win the Cold War, and in the case of the first two, help the West get out of its economic doldrums. Talk to any older Eastern European, and they really credit Reagan and the Pope for providing them with inspiration and belief that they could be free. End of political interlude.)
It was also a little strange walking past John Paul's grave. Relatively simple by papal standards, there is an area set up a bit away from the grave for people who are essentially sitting shiva. However, there is an area right in front for people to walk past -- so we cut right in front of them (albeit quickly).
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