A DATE WITH FRANK...

"Take us to Frank's house" we instruct our driver, and 20 minutes of hair raising thrills later, we're on the west bank of the Tiber River in the world's smallest independent State (in both size and population which totals 1,000) and staring at a seething mass of people in the queue to get into the Vatican Museums. It's at least a kilometre long and Mario Andretti drops us off 500 metres from the entrance - he can't get any closer. The good news is WE'VE PRE-BOOKED a guided tour and so jump the queues (Travel Tip: the queue lengths is not an exaggeration! Unless you fancy standing in the blazing sun for several hours then it's a no brainer - PRE-BOOK your tickets online).

Even inside the museum, the crowds are massive and it's easy to get separated from one's tour guide.  (Tourist Tip: Our tour is for three hours and it really is a marathon, there's no break or refreshment stop, so keep it in mind if you're toting kids around). We wander our way through the Pio Clementino Museum, 

Gallery of the Candelabra (no sign of Liberace anywhere),

Gallery of the Tapestries, 

we got lost in the Gallery of the Geographical Maps,

and Raphael's Room.

Transfiguration

The priceless artwork and sculptures are mesmerising, the whole place drips with opulence and yet it begs the question, "exactly who would buy all this 'stuff' if it was for sale??"

Apollo Belvedere

Laocoon and his sons

Belvedere Torso

Caravaggio's Deposizione

St Jerome by Da Vinci

 

Aldobrandini's Marriage

The jewel in this fabulous crown is, of course, the Sistine Chapel which features two of Michelango's most extraordinary and celebrated frescoes.

The first is the ceiling, painted between 1508-12 and depicts the Book of Genesis, the creation (the iconic image of God giving life to Adam - their fingers don't actually touch!), Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the Great Flood 

(Trivia Point: it's a myth that Mike lay down to paint the ceiling, he did in fact stand up - must've ended up with a chronic crick in the neck!). The second fresco is the magnificent Last Judgement, painted between 1535-41 (i.e. it took longer than the ceiling!) which spans the entire wall behind the altar.

When one considers these and other works of art, along with his architectural and engineering designs then there can be no question that he truly was a genius.

Upon leaving the museums there's no time to rest as we enter St. Peter's Basilica, the holiest church in Christendom. From 1506 to 1626 it was built under the supervision of Rafael, Peruzzi, Michelangelo and Bernini, amongst others.

The cathedral is the world's largest in terms of floor space and holds an incredible 20,000 worshippers (on our visit they must have been trying to break the record!). The dome (designed by Mike) is 42 metres in diameter and towers 136 metres above the floor, and is accessible by climbing 533 steps which we're keen to do, however a mighty queue with a one hour waiting time, coupled with two children suffering chronic hunger pangs, force us to reconsider.

Footnote: We rang the doorbell but nobody answered, clearly Frank wasn't home (probably off writing his speech for Easter Sunday).

We exit the basilica and la familia sit on the periphery of the cobble stoned St. Peter's Square to have a much needed bite to eat whilst admiring the grandeur of this trapezoid shaped meeting place.

Leaving the Vatican means walking towards the Ponte Sant'Angelo and the gigantic cylindrical edifice Castel Sant'Angelo, more commonly known as Hadian's Mausoleum.

We choose not to go this way - hey, there's only so many monuments and ruins one can take in - and instead wind our way south to Rome's coolest neighbourhood, Trastevere. The later the day becomes, the more this area comes alive as bars and cafes open their doors. Don L has suffered the wrath of God (clearly spending half a day in His office hasn't counted for anything) and not only has the iPhone died but a lens falls out of my prescription sunglasses leaving me semi-blind. We split up and as Dulcinea and los ninos explore shops for the rest of the day Don L sets off on a quest to find an electronics store and an optometrist (not as easy as it sounds!).

Tomorrow it's time to don the toga!