I knew I wanted to spend the bulk of one day in the Vatican during my three days in Rome: I had to see the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael frescoes, and Bernini's twisty-columned baldacchino and Michelangelo's Pieta inside St. Peter's, and perhaps most important, I had promised Kellydeal I would bring her back a Popener. (For you Protestants, that's a bottle opener bearing a bas-relief of the Pope's visage.) But I never expected to be thrilled by the Basilica as much as I was, so much so that it became my favorite memory of Rome.

Tourists enter the Vatican Museums at the north wall of the complex (and it really is like a fortress wall) to purchase tickets (18,000 Lit. or $9). It was crowded in early September, but the lines moved extremely rapidly; I don't think we waited more than two minutes. Our only delay was at the x-ray machine, where the rather sharp pliers that I had forgotten to take out of my purse were detected. I removed them and showed them to the guard; much smiling, smirking and hilarity ensued, and I was surprisingly allowed to keep them. (I could have attacked countless treasures!)

The Museums contain so many galleries that, unfortunately, you will most likely miss seeing a good chunk of stuff. I wish we'd had time to see the Borgia Apartments, the luxurious living quarters of Pope Alexander VI, the Borgia pope, and we dismissed with a wave of our hand the entire Etruscan, the Egyptian-Gregorian, the Ethnological, the Historical, and the Modern collections. Like almost everyone else, you will head out for the Sistine Chapel by the most direct route allowed, which turns out to be almost infinitely circuitous, mazelike, and time-consuming. I think they change the route every so often, roping off certain sections for no apparent reason, which is irritating, and at various points you see tantalizing signs: "Capella Sistina" with arrows. These signs give you the courage and sustenance to go on, as a parched man who thinks he sees an oasis on the horizon. The signs are not quite lying, but they mislead, for the Sistine Chapel at any given moment is many countless steps from where you are.

In the meantime, we wended our way through the Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery), observing works by Fra Angelico, the 15th-century Dominican monk, the three Raphael masterpieces in the dimly lit Raphael salon (the Transfiguration is the best known), Leonardo da Vinci's uncompleted St. Jerome with the Lion, and Caravaggio's exquisite Deposition from the Cross. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention in the early rooms, and I apparently waltzed right by Giotto's Stefaneschi Triptych, which I would have liked to see up close.

Despite being herded through the Museums like sheep (as others have noted), it is actually possible to miss entire galleries. One member of our party was determined to find the Pio Clementino Museum, which contains Greek and Roman sculptures, many of them well known, as well as giant stone bathtubs. Yet only one guard out of five could tell us where this gallery was. My guide indicated that it was outside in a courtyard. The member of our party insisted this could not be true, since these were ancient and priceless works of art. As it turns out the most famous of them are outside, in roofed porticoes that ring the Belvedere courtyard, which has netting to keep the birds out. Here you'll find the Laocoon (pronounced La-ah-co-won), from the 1st century B.C., and the renowned Apollo Belvedere, a Roman reproduction of a 4th century B.C. Greek work. Inside is the massive, muscled Belvedere Torso, which presumably was once an entire body.

Back inside, don't miss the frescoes in the Raphael Rooms. Much of the Stanza dell'Incendio is by pupils of Raphael, but the Stanza della Segnatura contains the School of Athens, one of the artist's best known works. (According to Frommer's, Raphael stopped working to check out the unveiling of the newly finished Sistine Chapel ceiling, and he was so impressed that he added the sulking figure of Michelangelo, sitting on the steps, to the School of Athens, where he joins Aristotle, da Vinci as Plato, Bramante as Euclid, and Raphael himself.)

Finally, about 900 hours later, we ascended a tight little set of steps into the Sistine Chapel. You will need a chiropractor after your visit, but you can take breaks from all the neck craning to view Michelangelo's huge and foreboding Last Judgment on the wall. Michelangelo considered himself primarily a sculptor rather than a painter, and without subtracting at all from the loveliness of his frescoes, I understand this now, after seeing his David in particular (in Florence). His painting on the ceiling (1508-1512) is beautiful and vivid, and his colors are luminous after the recent and lengthy restoration (I don't think I've ever seen draped fabric painted so beautifully), but when you see David you understand his absolutely mastery, like probably no one else, of form and shape and mass, which can only be demonstrated in three dimensions -- it's almost as though he has breathed life into stone.

It's probably a good idea to take a detailed guide with you into the Chapel, since other artists are represented on various wall panels (most notably, Botticelli). Also, I would have liked for someone to point out which clothing had been painted over some of Michelangelo's nude figures. In the recent 1990's restoration, apparently some of these "modesty drapes" added at the insistence of Pope Paul III were removed.

There is no shorts-wearing inside the Vatican, and women should not have bare shoulders. This policy was selectively enforced, but I did see one nubile strumpet in a spaghetti strap top admonished by the guards and forced to put on her sweater. There are benches around the perimeter of the Chapel, but the competition for seats is fierce.

Upon finishing the Chapel, and after hunting down the Popener, we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica. I believe it is free to enter the church (you would hope!), but we found ourselves in a line, destination unknown. (When in Rome, if you see a line, you'd better get in it before someone jumps in front of you.) We found ourselves buying tickets to ascend the 375-foot dome, which you can do either entirely by foot, or partway by elevator (8,000 Lit. or $4). Either way, you will be climbing many, many stairs, so I heartily recommend the elevator. The elevator lets you out at the base of the dome, which is still many feet up and has a stunning view of the nave, the dome and the lovely mosaics that ring it, and Bernini's baldacchino. If you have problems with your feet, knees, heels, toes, ankles, or heart, or if you are extremely large or obese, you can stop here to enjoy the interior view and head back down. Or, like we did, you can continue up almost to the pinnacle.

It's a long way. There are many, many steps (320, but it seems like more), and the journey is one-way. As you get higher, you enter the narrow space between the exterior and interior dome (the interior dome provides structural support), and you actually have to lean in to accommodate the dome's curve. The last few dozen steps are on a tiny circular staircase with only a rope hanging down the middle to grab onto should you fall. Once you emerge outside, the view is spectacular; you can see the surrounding hills, and pick out many Roman landmarks, as well as get a birdseye view of the Vatican Gardens with their ornamental shrubbery and fountains.

The present Basilica was completed in the 1500's and 1600's, after the original basilica commissioned in 324 A.D. by Emperor Constantine over St. Peter's tomb had largely crumbled. It's massive and almost indescribably ornate, begun by Bramante until his death in 1514, then added to by Raphael and others until 1546, when Michelangelo completed the apse, the transept, and the dome as far as the drum. Bernini decorated the interior with marble and erected his ridiculously baroque baldacchino in 1633. The baldacchino gets all the press, but the basilica is so magnificent and overwhelming that it dwarfs the 96-foot canopy.

We didn’t have time, but you can visit the Vatican grottoes, where numerous popes are buried. To visit St. Peter's tomb, you have to apply to the excavations office several days in advance.

The Vatican Museums has a pleasant cafeteria with hot and cold dishes, and cold sodas. I enjoyed my orechiette with funghi, olive oil and fresh grated parmesan. (10,000 Lit. or $5)



Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov