Italy Adventures - Vatican City

 

The second day of our trip was amazing and jam packed. By jam packed, I mean we saw almost all the key attractions Rome had to offer in one day!  Today, I'm going to show you both St. Peter's Cathedral which we visited early in the morning, along with the Vatican Museum which we saw later in the day. 

 

Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world. The Vatican and the Holy See are interesting and would take the whole post to explain fully. Feel free to read more HERE,  Above is an outside shot of St. Peter's Basilica. If it looks familiar, it might be because this is where Pope Leo greeted the public after 

being elected (along with other many other appearances)

We arrived at St. Peter's Square first thing in the morning and were lucky enough to beat most of the crowds.

The Basilica is called St. Peter after Jesus's trusted apostle who is buried under this altar. An altar on which many Popes, including Pope Leo, have held mass.

The dome was amazing, as you can see. Michelangelo, Giancamo della Porta and Domenico Fontana, all had a hand in its design and construction.

The Swiss Guard, established in 1506, is the oldest military that has been in continuous use. They may have a whimsical and renaissance feeling because of their uniform, but don't underestimate them. They are well trained in counter-terrorism, hand to hand combat and are an elite force not to be reckoned with.

 

I could go on...and on....and on about St. Peter's, but let's take a look at the Vatican Museums.

Looking down on the modern "Bramante Staircase" designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932 based on Donato Bramante's original double helix staircase.

Mars of Todi - Thought to be a life-sized sculpted bronze warrior from the 4th or 5th century BC.

Sculpted puppy ;-).

Laocoon and His Sons - Discovered in Rome in the early 1500's, the amazing detail of this sculpture made it a favorite of Michelangelo.

Another beautiful view of the Modern Bramante Staircase, this time shooting from below.

Here is a movie showing some more of Vatican City:

Thanks for joining us as we explored Vatican City. Next week, I'll wrap up Roma with a look at the Colosseum and some fun "around the city" shots.

We are joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for the 

Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!