Rome, Part IV: The Vatican

This is the view of St Peter's Basilica from St Peter's Square.
 I had just sworn off going out between 12 and 5 because of the blistering heat, but how could I refuse the opportunity to go to the Vatican? We decided to go on a guided tour because it meant that we could skip the horrid queues. We had an incredibly charismatic and extremely intelligent guide called Silvio. I wish I could have had Silvio in my pocket throughout my time in Italy. He could enlighten me with  interesting facts and then entertain me with his singing and his jokes. Ah Silvio, what a champ! 

The Obelisk.
The Pope lives in the building on the right. Second floor, last room on the right hand side. True story, or so Silvio said. 

Statue in the Vatican Museum: "Apollo Belvedere"
This is a statue of the Greek God, Apollo. It is considered to be the epitome of male beauty.    

Statue: "Laocoon and His Sons". Such an interesting story behind this statue. If you're interested, you can read about it here. 

We also went into St Peter's Basilica which was just absolutely amazing. I had to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming (had to do that a lot this holiday, actually). This statue, Pietà by Michaelangelo, was in the Basilica. I remember studying this in art when I was in Grade 9. Ever since, I have been fascinated by it. And then I saw it in real life. Wowee, but it literally took my breath away. And I had a little lump in my throat. First time a piece of art has done such things to me. This isn't my picture, of course. In the Basilica we could only take pictures without a flash, so all my attempts were rather futile. But I had to share it anyway. Incredible.