We went to the Vatican Museum today. You have to get a good night’s sleep and an early start for that. Especially on the last Sunday of the month, like today, because the museum is free on the last Sunday of the month. This is good because normally tickets cost 16 euros, so we will try to hit the free Sundays as much as we can. I think we have three left.
We were all up by 8, so we all got dressed, and had some coffee (not the children of course) and hit the road. By 9:30 we were in a tremendous queue outside the Vatican walls waiting to get into the museum. I think we were in line for about an hour and a half. That is just about as much time as we spent inside too. We were on a mission today. The Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. For better or worse, everybody else is on the same mission, so it was pretty crowded. I told the children they had to be holding a parent’s hand AT ALL TIMES.
The Vatican Museum is huge, and we couldn’t find a map on our way in, but luckily the “Sistine Route” is pretty clearly marked. It’s a one-way museum, so you cannot really meander around at your own pace, but have to move in a cattle-like fashion toward the intended target. There are loads of things we didn’t see. Next time we will try to find a map and see what else is on offer. I think ultimately all paths lead to the Sistine Chapel so you won’t miss it.
I finally got to see the School of Athens! It was being restored the last time we were here. It was spectacular. It is one of my favorite paintings. I told the kids all about it. I showed them Michelangelo’s portrait, and Raphael’s self-portrait. I told them how he was working on these rooms at the same time that Michelangelo was working on the chapel ceiling. I am such a geek.
I could have stayed there longer, but by this time the children were dying to see the headline act. Every time we walked through a doorway or turned a corner they would ask, “is this it?”
So, finally, on to the Big Kahuna: the Sistine Chapel. Or, as the C-man kept referring to it, the sixteen chapel. Ah, but first you have to make your way through some galleries of really dreadful modern religious art. The reward is worth it though and we finally found ourselves in the right place staring at the ceiling. I went into my Art History mode again and told them that it took Michelangelo five years, working all by himself to paint the whole ceiling. Really, when you look at it, it’s amazing it only took him five years. We stood there gawping until everybody had a sore neck and then we reluctantly moved on.
Next stop pizza then home for a quiet afternoon.
Yesterday Tom took the kids. I did some aimless wandering, checked out a few churches that are kind of off the beaten path and then took a deep breath and went to the Prada store. I was not wearing my nicest clothes, but it didn’t seem to matter. And clearly I will NOT be bringing home any Prada of any kind. I found a bag I loved, black, with a pink lining, not leather, but some mystery fabric that fell to earth from space. It took quite a bit of searching to find the price tag. For future reference, or in case you are planning your own trip to Prada, they are discreetly tucked into tiny black envelopes, and then tucked into the small zipper compartment on the inside of the bag. So I finally found the price tag: 420 euros. Yikes! That’s a weekend in Venice right there. So I left and the bag stayed in the store. How very very sad. Maybe I will go back and visit it someday.
Team G came over for dinner last night. Tom makes a mean Bolognese sauce. The adults chatted and drank prosecco while the children played. Prosecco is a sparkling Italian white wine and it is really really good. It goes down like 7-Up. We all love it. We all had a grand time and it was a pretty full weekend.
Posted by goitaly 
