“If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn’t call it genius.” Michaelangelo
We booked Vatican museum tour that started 10am in the morning, the one held by the Vatican itself and was €37 per person, already includes entrance fee with special express line (avoid the verryyy long queue from the regular line), guided tour and from museum you can enter St. Peter Basilica from different entrance with no queueing. So yes, it was worthed.
Very recommended, no need to use the guide tour from external travel agent, just the one from Vatican’s website with similar benefits and much cheaper cost.
Our guide was a funny Italian lady, whom her only son became one of the pasteur there. She knows all the painting very well, explains one by one in details. We are not an art person, so by end of session we pretty much had forgotten all the story lol..
Once we finish the museum, we entered the famous Sistine Chapel which not allowed any photography inside. The huge paintings along the wall and roof are magnificent and huge by Michaelangelo if I’m not mistaken. The guide kept telling us the story on the making process, how aweful was the bishop on that era, and how Michaelangelo hated the bishop that he even draw the bishop’s face as the evil character on his painting.
From Sistine Chapel, it is connected with St Peter Basilica, we entered from the main door with no queueing.
We entered St Peter Basilica with huge awe, literally like a jawdrop awe. It has been a lifetime wish to come here.
When we came in, there was a mass just finished.
Then we headed out for lunch, while waiting for St Peter Tomb tour on 3.30pm. You need to register via Vatican’s website only, because the tour has limited seat as the tomb location inside is very narrow. Once you received confirmation email, you may proceed the payment via website as well.
Our tour was a group of 7 or 8 people. Our guide was a phd in historical, he was very smart, only to speak so fast with low voice so that we couldn’t catch some of his explanation.
We couldn’t take any picture while inside the tomb, it was very small narrow dark alley inside with warm temperature.
It was actually a tomb for rich people back in the time, but the skeleton had been moved to a better place for the ones exhibited. By end of the alley, our guide said there are many more tombs inside that had not digged yet, while he points to the dark end of the tomb. We didn’t bother to stay any longer and continue walked to the next lighter area, lol.
He showed us the tomb of St Peter at the last, just before we were heading to the exit. By the time we were back to inside of the church, there was a mass that just started. We ended up having our mass there, I am not sure which language the pastor used, certainly not Italian.
It was such a beautiful mass, although I couldn’t understand the pastor but there was an unexplained beautiful peace that moved my heart.
The night view was even more astonishing with dark blue sky by the time we were going back home. This is the only photo I had just before our camera’s battery died #sigh
Vie on Vacation 