Entering Italy and the Beautiful Vatican Museums: Takahiro Ueda, a Buddhist Priest, Circumnavigates the World - Vatican, Italy (1)
May 8.
Arrival at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
I came to Rome for no other reason.
The reason is to visit the Vatican, the headquarters of Roman Catholicism, the center of the Christian world.
From the airport, take a bus to the center of Rome.
Arrive in central Rome.
This is the European cityscape.
It is a reminder of how exotic Bosnia is.
Arrive at the hotel.
I had booked a hotel near the Vatican in order to concentrate on the Vatican this time in Italy.
The Vatican can be seen from the hotel's rooftop terrace.
The area with the large brown building in front of the photo is already Vatican City territory.
Before visiting the Vatican, we had to eat.
When we think of Italy, we think of pasta.
I got the pasta recommended by the restaurant.
Crispy bacon and tomato-based pasta.
That's the real deal. This is quite good!
The espresso I got after dinner was also excellent.
Rome's espresso is said to be the best in the world.
With our stomachs full, we decided to head to the Vatican Museums as soon as possible.
The location is less than a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
Arrive at the entrance of the Vatican Museums.
I had reserved my ticket in advance, so I was able to enter relatively smoothly.
If you are planning to visit the Vatican Museums, it is advisable to make a reservation in advance.
Once inside, you will first go through a metal detector.
From there, visitors are issued tickets and receive audio guides, etc. At this point, it gets quite crowded.
After baggage inspection, visitors finally enter the museum and see the famous spiral staircase.
It is a great way to feel that you are in the Vatican Museums.
Inside the museum, the aisles were filled with people.
We have to go with the flow.
It is indeed a very popular museum that attracts people from all over the world.
Still, unlike group tours, I could walk at my own pace and take my time when there was something I wanted to see.
There may be more group tours than individuals going around.
When the aisles are jammed, it is usually when group tours are stopping to listen to the commentary.
Therefore, I found that I could go around the area less stressfully than I had expected by going at my own pace and taking my time to see the sights.
The area immediately after entrance is crammed with ancient Roman sculptures.
The fleshiness of this statue was astonishing. Looking at it directly, you would think it was more realistic than a real human body.
This statue will be discussed again in a later article.
In fact, I would like to mention here that this statue has a deep connection with that Michelangelo.
When we emerged into the domed space, a huge statue appeared.
Among them is the central statue.
In Japan, metal statues are a familiar sight due to the presence of the Great Buddha, but I think I have rarely seen them in Europe.
This corridor is probably featured in guidebooks.
Old hand-drawn maps are displayed on the hallway walls.
And above their heads are countless paintings framed in gold.
It is a terrible story that these paintings, each of which should be kept as a work of great value, are all painted together on the ceiling like this.
Further on, we arrive at the Raphael Room.
Here you can see Raphael's masterpiece, "The School of Athens".
I've seen this picture in textbooks.
Without question, I had always assumed that since it was a painting, it must have been done on a canvas.
But it was not to be.
This is painted directly on the walls of the room.
The room was not that spacious, so it was difficult to take pictures, on the contrary, I cannot tell you what it looked like, but seeing this painting on the wall in front of me was such a wonderful experience that I could not take my eyes off the painting for a while.
And on the opposite wall is the painting shown here.
This is another work by Raphael.
Personally, I prefer this picture.
I am attracted by the gentle expression of Jesus.
The Vatican Museums still have a large amount to offer.
It is too much to introduce here.
I walked around the museum roughly on the first day, but it still took more than two hours.
It would take at least twice as long to watch the film if you concentrate on it carefully.
Tomorrow we will have more time, so let's take the time to enjoy the museum in the coming days.
be unbroken
*Please visit this category page for recommended books to learn about Rome and Italy.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism."
The Italian Renaissance and the Revolution in Knowledge."
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