Vatican

We had quite the adventure to the Vatican today. The first thing to know is that lines to enter the Vatican are extremely long. The second thing to know is that they were even longer than usual due to the happening of a national holiday on the following day. The third thing to know is that Prof. Schultz managed to get us in ahead of the line...without a reservation.

After passing through the airport-grade security, and a brief period during which we thought the Vatican security would escort us back out, we were in. We checked out a set of one-way headset radios which allowed us to remotely hear Prof. Schultz speak over the crowd noise.

And oh, the crowd noise. There were people everywhere, sometimes even shoulder-to-shoulder. It was very, very crowded - so much that it was at times difficult for me to really appreciate the artwork.

That said, however, the sheer volume of art in the Vatican Museum is absolutely overwhelming. Walking through the carefully organized rooms is like walking through history. Visitors witness the artistic transitions between the different phases of Renaissance art, and rise and fall of some of the greatest artists to have ever created. Bernini, Raphael, Michelangelo, all in one place. Busts, sculptures, tapestries, and paintings can be seen in every direction. Many of the rooms are fully frescoed from floor to ceiling. One could probably spend an entire day in one room alone (we had to skip right past many just to keep pace with our schedule).

The quantity and quality of artwork in the museum is stunning. Brilliant usage of color and light, coupled with incredible understanding of natural shapes and forms create powerful and emotive imagery. These vivid depictions encapsulate some of the absolute finest minds and productions of human history.

Really, there was too much art to process at one time. I'll definitely have to return someday. One small note, though - the marble sculpture Laocoon is really something else. The juxtaposition of the figures in that sculpture is strikingly emotive. It's almost as if you can hear Laocoon's anguish when looking into his tormeted face.

The Sistine Chapel was particularly intricate, with Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling and the opposing wall panels depcting the lives of Jesus and Moses. It was extremely crowded, though, and people were being quite loud. The Vatican security officers kept trying fruitlessly to shush the crowd.

After a quick presentation on Swiss Guards, we dispersed for the evening. Some of us went to the Vatican post office to mail some postcards, while the rest went to grab dinner before our evening film, L'Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio. The film is a documentary about the formation of a motley immigrant orchestra from the Piazza Vittorio.

Following the film, we went out to watch fireworks over Castle Saint Angelo, in celebration of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul tomorrow. Unfortunately, we couldn't see most of the fireworks over the trees lining the river. The sky was lit red, though.