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TR A VEL

A Visit to the Vatican Museums and

Colosseum in Rome

By Diana Vahedi

Photos courtesy of Diana Vahedi

magine walking among walking distance from each ry and houses an enormous
ruins and monuments that other. Therefore, wearing collection of Renaissance art
Iare thousands of years old. comfortable shoes is import- and sculpture amassed by the
Imagine traveling to a city that ant. Although Rome is home Catholic Church and the pa-
is as much a museum as it is to numerous tourist attrac- pacy throughout the centuries.
a world-famous metropolis. tions and a bevy of history, its As you wander through the 53
Rome, the Eternal City, is just streets were filled with ciga- rooms and galleries, your eyes
rette butts and trash. But the are drawn to such memorable
ethos of historical facts and works as Leonardo da Vinci’s
Roman architecture quickly St. Jerome in the Wilderness,
detract from that detail. There Raphael’s Transfiguration, Car-
are so many things to see in avaggio’s Entombment along flowing between God’s and Ad-
Rome, but the two places that with numerous jewel encrust- am’s finger. Despite the noise
stood out the most to me were ed reliquaries, crosses, and and the constant warnings, that
the Vatican Museums and the Roman sculpture. I majored invisible spark between Adam
Colosseum. They were both in Art History in college and and God makes this museum
interesting as well as teen and had only seen these paintings worth the trip.
tween friendly. in textbooks. To see them in Our next stop was the
We began our tour by person was truly amazing. Colosseum. As you approach
visiting the Vatican Museums, The highlight of the tour is, what remains of one of Rome’s
since it was simply too hot of course, The Sistine Chapel, most famous sites, it is hard to
and too crowded to visit St. perhaps considered the crown believe that it is 2000 years old
Peter’s square. Tickets are easy jewel of the museum. What and was once covered in white
to purchase on site and cost struck me was how small and marble. It is strongly encour-
about 17 Euro for adults and 8 dark the chapel is. While one aged to buy tickets ahead of
Euros for children between 6 revels at the illustrious artwork your visit on any of the online
and 18. Children under six are on its ceilings, the sanctity sites in order to avoid the long
that place. With its Egyptian free. You can also purchase an and joy is somewhat damp- lines. Even if you buy tickets
obelisks brought back from audio tour for an additional 7 ened by the guards’ constant beforehand, it is impossible to
ancient conquests, to the Euro. shushing and loud reminders avoid the long lines. Tickets
serene, hallowed beauty of Most people visit the mu- that photos are not allowed. are priced at 24 Euros for
Vatican City, Rome, Italy has seum to see the famous Sistine However, when you look up at adults. Teenagers and children
something to offer everyone. Chapel, but the architects of the ceiling, you cannot resist under 18 are free. If you ask
Where else can you walk in the museum were clever to put becoming entranced with the tour coordinators for help
Julius Caesar’s footsteps, be that at the very end of the tour Michelangelo’s deftly painted getting in with the preferred
mesmerized by the glorious so visitors must walk through elongated figures depicting the line, they pretend that pre-
artwork of Michelangelo, Tit- a plethora of different rooms Book of Genesis in the Bible. ferred entrance does not exist,
ian and Rafael, pretend to be before reaching Michelange- The most famous panel is the and you end up in line with
a gladiator preparing to fight lo’s masterpiece. The museum “Creation of Adam” where the other hundreds of hot,
in the Coliseum, and dine on dates back to the 16th centu- you can almost feel the energy dehydrated visitors.
sumptuous, authentic Italian
cuisine?
My husband, daughters,
and I arrived in Rome in the
middle of Europe’s biggest
heatwave in July of 2019,
but that did not dampen our
spirits. Rome is better to view
while walking because many
of the famous sites are within

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