Continued from Firenze…
While I had planned to visit Vatican while in Rome, I had not thought of getting a ticket in advance to go for the sunday service at St. Peter’s Basilica. Looking at the long queue, I knew that I would not be able to get a ticket on that morning.
However, with the queuing people intent on getting inside the church, the square was becoming less crowded. So, I decided to sit outside in the square and take in the atmosphere, while watching the service on the giant screens set up in the square.
After an hour or so, I was ready to visit the Sistine chapel and only the chapel, as I didn’t want to be overwhelmed with all the artwork at the Vatican museum even before I had visited the chapel. I made my way into the chapel, which was packed, but I managed to find a seat on one of the benches lining the edges so that I could take in the artwork on the walls and ceiling of the chapel.
After the visit to the Sistine chapel, I felt like I needed to get out of the crowded museum so started walking away from Vatican city, till I reached Castel Sant’Angelo on its outskirts. The castle had been commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. I loved the views from the top of the castle.
How was your experience of visiting Vatican city?
[Linking this post to City Tripping #46 , hosted by Mummy Travels and Wander Mum]
Perspectives Quilt 
Beautiful shots of Rome Ahila. I’ve been a few times and made it to the Vatican twice. Loved it both times despite the crowd, especially the Sistine chapel, Pieta and the view from the dome! xoxo, nano | http://www.travelwithnanob.com
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Thank you, Nano! The view from the dome must have been lovely!
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Wonderful photos Ahila! By a stroke of luck I was standing in line on Christmas eve with my husband, years ago, unaware that we needed a ticket to go to mass. 🙂 We were young and two nuns took pity on us. In the pouring rain they gave us tickets, and we were ushered towards a side door at St. Peter’s. We saw Pope John Paul’s last Christmas mass only 3 pews away from him. Your pictures reminded me of that special time. 🙂
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Love your story of standing in line in the pouring rain and the nuns taking pity on you both and issuing the tickets. Thanks for sharing, Ellie!
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Thanks for reminding me of a special time. 😉
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We love the Vatican. The museums are so interesting. We were also lucky enough to be in a papal mass the first time we went #citytripping
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That’s lovely to hear that you were able to go in for the papal mass during your first visit. Must have been an amazing experience!
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Fantastic photos Ahila. I visited the Vatican in the 90s. While the art is amazing, the wealth on display made me feel very uncomfortable and I don’t feel any need to return soon. But I an feeling the pull of Rome grow stronger every day!
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Thank you, Katy. Rome is an amazing city that one does need to revisit so I can understand the pull. Hope you have a great visit there soon!
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Hi Ahila, Great photos of Vatican city. We went inside St Peter’s Basilica (it wasn’t a Sunday), but missed out on the Sistine chapel and the Caste Sant’Angelo. You seem to have been able to do a lot in a short space of time #citytripping
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Thanks, Upeksha. I guess that is because I missed out on the service inside. It was easier to walk around when the bulk of the visitors were inside the basilica 🙂
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Nice pics!! 🙂
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Thank you!
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I have not been to the Vatican but the views from that castle might convince me to do so! Lovely!
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Thank you, Mandy. I don’t quite remember what was inside the castle as I only seem to remember the views and my camera seems to have captured the same.
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I think that’s wise of you to have only visited the Sistine Chapel – I would have done the same except that we had a hired tour guide (for the kids). There was too much emphasis on the lead-up when really all I wanted to do was stare up at the Sistine ceiling for a while.
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I kind of tend to get claustrophobic and/ or quickly exhausted in crowded museums so if I have decided to go to one, I just focus on the main artwork that drew me there. I think the tour guide was a good choice, when visiting with the kids, though.
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Those views are wonderful – I’ve been to Rome a couple of times but never made it up there. I do enjoy visiting Vatican City though, such an unusual place to see – I defy anyone not to get a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of art and the Sistine Chapel is always crowded. The basilica is amazing although I’ve never been on a Sunday morning. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
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Thank you, Cathy. Even if I didn’t get to go inside the basilica, I loved sitting on the steps in the square and simply enjoying the view and atmosphere of the place, while listening to the mass inside.
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That is great that you could sit down and admire the Sistine chapel. I remember it being fairly crowded when we went. I’m not familiar with Castel Sant’Angelo but you certainly got some wonderful views from there. #citytripping
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True, I was lucky to find a space to sit for a few minutes. The crowd was overwhelming.
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Indeed. Vatican was quite peaceful and place for pilgrim.
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