Rome, Day 3

The only place I missed that I really wanted to see the last time I was in Rome was the Vatican. I saved it for Monday (thinking the crowds would have been too large on a Sunday). On my way there, I walked down the Spanish Steps:


Then I crossed the river near the Palazzo di Giustizia:


I visited the grounds of the Castel Sant'Angelo (its name always reminds me of F.P. Santangelo).



From there, I had a nice view down the Via della Conciliazione:


Finally, I had made it to the Vatican!



I walked under the curving rows of columns to get closer to the entrance while avoiding the sun.


I chose to climb the cupola first. The line was tremendously long -- I must have waited close to two hours to get to the stairs. But it was worth the wait!

Looking down into the bascilica


Looking up at the dome


They let us walk half-way around the dome. Across from me is where we entered, with the floor below for scale.


We had a great view from the top, as you can imagine.


We were also able to peek into the grounds of the Vatican, which were off-limits to the public:


On the way down, we walked across some of the roof to get to another set of stairs. From there, I took this picture.


Then I toured the basilica. It was huge!



I like how the draped blanket is carved here:



Unfortunately, I didn't have enough cash to enter the museum (and the Vatican doesn't take credit cards), so I wasn't able to see the Sistine Chapel. Oh well, maybe next time!