Christmas in Roma! – Rome Part 2, Rome, Italy (B)

Christmas time in Italy is all about family (or so I am told!), so I was counting on less crowded streets and museums. Not so! The streets were less crowded but the Vatican Museum was full. I had bought my ticket in advance, which I highly recommend unless you love waiting in long lines. My ticket included a guided tour, which was the best idea I had. I would have been lost and not really sure of what I was looking at. Of course, it meant I didn’t see everything, but that would take days. The guide was very knowledgeable about both art and the history of the Vatican. There was so much to look at! The guide kept pointing out things on the ceilings and the walls. There were amazing tapestries and sculpture. One thing that was rarely mentioned was the floors almost all the floors were tiled with elaborate patterns of small tiles. Most of these were in excellent condition considering how many people have walked on them over the hundreds of years and even more so now that thousands of tourists come everyday. Here a just a few pictures from the Vatican museums. (No pictures of the Sistine Chapel as its not allowed.) ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).