The Vatican, the World's Smallest Nation

Our first full day in Rome was spent exploring another city & indeed another country - Vatican City!  A country within a country, tiny Vatican City takes up just a part of Rome, but there is so much to see there that we could have easily spent more than just the full morning.
We met our local guide Stuart outside the grand entrance to the Vatican Museums, the Vatican's incredible collection of priceless art.

With the enormous dome of St. Peter's as a backdrop, Stuart began to tell us all about the history of the church & its art.

With a little stop to appreciate the Pope's collection of soccer jerseys - a human touch to the pontiff.

We learned about the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel & about it's creation outside - speaking inside is forbidden!  Then we wound our way through seemingly endless galleries of Roman & Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries & wall maps, & more...
The Sistine Chapel itself was the final highlight of the museums, though photography is also forbidden inside so no photos of that.

After a short-cut we found ourselves at the enormous bronze doors of St. Peter's.

Inside the church, the largest in the world, we were suitably awed - even more so when Stuart explained just how huge some of the details that looked tiny to us really are!
The church itself is home to priceless works of art too, none more so than Michelangelo's 'Pieta' (portrayal of the crucified Christ with the Virgin Mary).
Other works of art include the canopy over the altar, created by Bernini from the bronze that originally covered the portico of the Pantheon!

Outside we saw the Swiss guards, enjoyed the sweeping views of the square, & had time for a group photo.

This afternoon was completely free for folks to explore at their leisure.
A large group took a walk after lunch - past street performers...

...on by the Castel Sant' Angelo & across the bridge of the same name...

...into the Centro Storico to Piazza Navona & the Pantheon.

Diner this evening was just a short walk from our hotel, at the end of a great day in The Eternal City.