In the Footsteps of Michelangelo

Yesterday I finally made my way to the Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistina in Italian). I knew the Vatican Museum(which contains the Sistine Chapel) was going to be ornate, but I did not expect to see such an extravagant collection of art. It took around three hours to make my way from the beginning of the Museum to the actual Sistine Chapel. I couldn't possibly list all of the galleries or art pieces I saw inside of the Vatican Museum but I will mention some of my favorites.

One of the galleries inside of the Vatican Museum is called Museo Pio-Clementino wich contains Greek and Roman sculptures. I recently took a Greek Mythology class at UCSB so it was really exciting to recognize some of the Greek God sculptures and know the stories about them. The first Greek sculpture I recognized was of Athena with her famous helmet and aegis (a cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority).

Another gallery that stood out to me was the gallery of maps. The gallery of maps consists of topographical maps of Italy. It remains the world's largest pictorial geographical study. The gallery has an enormous ceiling covered with paintings of maps. The walls were covered in individual painted maps ranging around twenty by twenty feet in dimension.

Out of all of the galleries I went into, my absolute favorite were the Raphael Rooms. I have fallen in love with every Raphael painting I have seen, whether it is inside the Vatican Church or inside the Vatican Museum. The "School of Athens" was much more enormous than I imagined, the painting covered an entire wall. To imagine the time and dedication it took to complete such a masterpiece is amazing to me.

After three miraculous hours of seeing famous works of art, I entered the Sistine Chapel. Uncontrollably I felt myself take in a gasp of air. My head immediately fell back as I starred wide-eyed at the ceiling. Every corner of the chapel was completely covered in artwork. The "Last Judgement" which I had seen numerous times in my text book and in brochures was right in front of me. It was surreal to be standing where Michelangelo had once been. I starred, starred, and starred some more. I couldn't get enough of the artwork surrounding me.


Needless to say, the Vatican Museum did not fail to impress me. My first time going through the Vatican Museum will be a memory I will never forget. After our visit to the Vatican Museum, the group of friends I was with and I went to our favorite gelateria called Old Bridge. We all sat down in a park eating our gelato, silent with amazement from the artwork we had just seen. It is refreshing to be surrounded with people who appreciate and respect the artwork in Rome just as much as I do. Artwork is something that is timeless. To think I was able to see paintings that were created hundreds of years ago is baffling. I plan on returning back to the Vatican Museum throughout my stay in Rome because I simply could not fully appreciate everything in one trip. Once again, another experience that influenced me greatly. Living in Rome has been nothing short of extraordinary, I can't wait for what else the city has to offer.