The Vatican Museums

Our visit to Rome this summer included Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica. The Catholic church has amassed an incredible collection of art over the centuries including Greek and Roman antiquities and Michelangelo's Renaissance masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel. These treasures are housed in the the Musei Vaticani, the Vatican Museums.

The Dome of St. Peter's

We were touring Italy with Insight Vacations, which meant we were able to skip the long ticket lines at the Vatican Museums. We were also allowed access to the Bramante Staircase, an area of the museum not open to the general public. Here is a sampling of what we saw.

The Vatican Museums

The Pigna Courtyard is one of my favourite areas of the museum because of the large bronze pine cone (pigna) which originally stood near the Pantheon. The pine cone is flanked by two bronze peacocks.

Bronze Pine Cone in the Pigna Courtyard

Bronze Peacock

Chiaramonti Museum

Roman Busts and Statues

Pius-Clementine Museum

Apoxyomenos, Athlete Scraping Himself

The Bramante Staircase was commissioned in 1512 and its spiral design enabled access by horseback. A much newer replica built in 1932 now serves as the Vatican Museum exit.

The Bramante Staircase

View from the Bramante Staircase

Etruscan Museum

Etruscan Pottery Jug

Heads of Horses

Gold Fibula from the Regolini-Galassi Tomb

Gold Pectoral from the Regolini-Galassi Tomb

Amber Necklace from the Rigoli-Galassi Tomb

Etruscan Bronze and Wood Sandals

The Mars of Todi

The Chariot Room

Sala della Biga, the Chariot Room

Chariot Room Ceiling

Candelabra Gallery

Roman Antiquities in the Candelabra Gallery

Gallery of Maps

Gallery of Maps Ceiling

Maps of Italy

Map of Venice

The last stop on our tour of the Vatican Museums was the Sistine Chapel, however no photos are allowed.

Stairway to the Sistine Chapel

Next: St. Peter's Basilica