SISTINE CHAPEL

It is a strange and wonderful feeling to enter a crowded room in order to look up with such anticipation at a painting on a ceiling, but that odd approach only adds to the excitement of this astonishing work of art, probably the greatest single painting ever created.

Despite the full house, you will have an unobstructed view by just cranking your head back, as Michelangelo did when painting it. You will clearly see this beautiful fresco Biblically summarizing the development of life on earth and mankind’s quest for salvation.

The amazing series of ceiling panels begins at the far end with the creation of dark and light, then sun and moon, moving on to God’s creation of plants and animals, and the most famous central panel depicting the creation of Adam.

Next we see the creation of Eve, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and three panels about Noah showing his drunkenness, the ark, and added paintings that complete the vast picture. Around the upper walls Michelangelo painted many more scenes depicting prophets from the Old Testament, little cupids, architectural elements and decorative motifs. It was created with four years (1508-1512) of extremely difficult and secretive labor during which he stood on a platform and looked up while creating these frescoes on wet plaster. Michelangelo later created the Last Judgment on the end wall, another arduous undertaking (1535-1541): Christ is seen sending good souls to heaven and the damned to hell.

The largest figures are paintings of the Sybils from the Old Testament (prophets foretelling the coming of Christ the Savior), little “enudi” Cupids, and what looks like carved statues in grisaille shades of grey, rather than the colorful technique found on the rest of the ceiling. It’s an amazing assemblage: the colors are bright and eye-popping because they’ve all been restored after centuries of candle soot and other pollution that darkened the ceiling. The works are now all brightly returned to their original colors.

An effective way to absorb this superb collection of sights is have a seat on one of the side benches that go around the room, where you can sit, relax, lean back and look up at your leisure. It is very crowded inside and there will probably be no available seats on first glance, but stand patiently near a wall keeping your eyes open monitoring those benches and surely within a few minutes somebody will get up and move along, so you can take a seat and rest your weary body while looking up at this amazing series of panels.

Originally the plan was just to paint a few religious scenes with some architecture: columns, frames and arches, along with stars in the night sky. But as Michelangelo got more and more into his magnum opus, even though he wasn’t pleased with his work. He didn’t even want to be here, but had the artistic passion to do it right, to do what his inner voice compelled him to do. He kept working, not letting anyone in for several years, although the Pope would come in now and then to look, and Raphael sneaked in occasionally to check on the progress. When it was finally revealed, the Italian world was just overwhelmed and astonished by the immense beauty of this work.

The end result is one of the largest paintings in the world, about 5,000 square feet and with more than 300 figures. Amazingly it somehow holds together as a single picture despite being composed of so many individual elements, covering a surface that begins as opposing vertical walls which rise and bend together forming a roof. Michelangelo was able to break the ceiling up into distinct clusters, giving it separation yet coherence, merging the distinct elements into perfect harmony.

It will take at least fifteen minutes to absorb the genius of Michelangelo. The ceiling mural is amazing, but don’t overlook the wall paintings all around created by the top artists of the Renaissance including Boticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio and Ghirlandaio, all working two decades before Michelangelo. Today the Chapel is still used for church functions, most famously for Papal conclaves where the new pope is elected.

When finished with the Sistine Chapel, you want to exit out the back door in the far corner of the Chapel diagonally opposite from the door you entered, leading you down the steps and out of the building. Half-way down these public steps, on your left, you will notice a roped-off stairway that is worth bending over to get a glimpse of, for this is the Scala Regia designed by Bernini. Once in a rare while Bernini’s staircase is open, so if you are fortunate to walk down it, pay attention to the baroque details, but usually the best you can do is lean over the rope and take a peek.

Outside at the bottom of the steps you will find the official Vatican gift shop, staffed by nuns, with an outstanding selection of religious articles, including one of the most popular items, rosary beads made of pressed rose petals which still retain a hint of fresh flower perfume. The shop has a good supply of books, postcards and works of art, and extends into a little room upstairs. The most expensive items for sale are the handmade mosaic scenes, crafted in exquisite detail by the artists of the Vatican workshops, but be prepared for sticker shock for these can cost thousands of dollars. You are now in good position to walk into St. Peter’s Basilica without having to stand in the long line, like those who are outside in the piazza waiting to go through security: you are already in the Vatican complex.

Be sure to notice the equestrian statue of Constantine by Bernini at the foot of the staircase, behind the glass door just beyond the Vatican gift shop. You are not allowed by the guards to get close to the door so all you can do is look at this beautiful statue from the foot of the steps. Follow directions for the entrance to the Basilica. (If you want to climb the dome, the line begins in this area by the gift shop, although you have already seen a similar view from the comfort of the museum windows.)

OPTION: If you would rather return into the Vatican Museum after the Sistine Chapel, there are a few more galleries to see and opportunity for a good lunch in the cafeteria, but this will make it more difficult to get into St. Peter’s, and add 1.5 kilometers of extra walking. If you really want to do that, use the main exit from the Chapel and follow the museum crowd through a long series of mundane galleries with painted cabinets and decorative objects until finally reaching a side gallery called the Sistine Hall of the Vatican Library, which is very beautiful.

In the old days when this was the pope’s palace, this library room is where manuscripts and rare books were kept. Today it is a decorated gallery with fantastic paintings nicely covering the columns, walls and ceiling. The huge vase is a centerpiece of the room, but there is no single masterpiece in here. The beauty is found in the overall effect of the floral and geometric decorations which are lively and colorful.

Continuing with that option toward the museum front, you could eat lunch at the downstairs cafeteria, coffee counter or pizza snack bar. The cafeteria hot tables have a good variety of cooked meals including chicken, pastas, soups and meat entrees, along with salads, beverages and desserts. Prices are reasonable and the food is tasty. If you plan on visiting St. Peter’s, the distance from the front of the museum to St. Peter’s is about 800 meters using the public streets, but the rub is you will now have to go through security to get back into the Vatican and lately those lines take one hour at midday. Alternatively you could avoid security by entering St. Peter’s from within the museum, but this requires retracing your steps all the way back through the Sistine Chapel in the same convoluted, crowded path that got you there originally, and out that back door of the Chapel -- not so easy. To sum up, when you are in the Chapel originally, desiring entry to St. Peter’s, unless you are hungry for all the rooms, and some decent food, exit the Sistine Chapel and go directly to St. Peter's.

Walk continues in St. Peter's Basilica.