ITALY : Do What the Romans Do!

Florence // Ravenna // Venice // Verona // Introduction

After exploring a little around Rome and being completely submerged in history, we definitely did not get a break as we headed into the Vatican City for the morning, followed by lunch, shopping, and our last Concert Performance at the Pantheon!

One of the biggest downsides to doing so much walking on our last day was that everyone was exhausted. 7 days in a foreign country really does take a toll on your energy levels. (And being with some of your closest friends doesn't always result in the most reasonable bedtimes!)

Inside one of the 13 (yes, 13!) Vatican Musems.

It is said that if you spent 1 minute at each item in the museums, it would take you 12 years to walk through them all!

Exterior of the Vatican

Vatican Gardens

Vatican Gardens

Large “Square” inside the Vatican

Hall of “Rugs” and ornately painted ceilings!

Entrance into Sistine Chapel

One of the downsides of going into many old churches is that photos are strictly prohibited! So, I wasn't able to take any photos inside of the Chapel.

Exit out of Sistine Chapel, into St. Peter's Square

We were in Italy the weekend before Easter, so here is the Square all set up for Easter Sunday! 

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Similar to the Colosseum, I had all of these preconceived mental pictures in my head of what the Vatican would look like, how St. Peter's would look like, and the reality exceeded these expectations. Thinking about how long it took to build, paint, and completely "furnish" this church is something I can't even fathom! It was really neat also, because on the floor of the basilica in the center, there were tick-mark like things that showed where other large Cathedrals compared. I got to visit the National Cathedral in D.C. last Spring, and so being able to see the comparison was insane - I thought the National Cathedral was big!

The Pantheon

Exterior of The Pantheon

Best tour guide ever - it was bittersweet to see her go the next morning!

Tomorrow I will be writing a closing to this mini-series! It's been fun being able to share these memories with you and hearing how much fun some of my readers had in these similar locations.

xoxo

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