San Pietro in Vaticano, Rome

After queuing for about 30 mins we reached inside San Pietro in Vaticano, the Basilica in the Vatican. This was a fantastic church. One thing to keep in mind is the Vatican Museums, which contain, among many other treasures, the Raphael paintings and the Sistine Chapel: their entrance is about 1km away and it shuts earlier. We therefore missed out on this and now I have to revisit Rome. Shame!

Here are some photos of the amazing art work in San Pietro in Vaticano:

Rome's Colosseum and Forum

Seeing the Colosseum for the first time takes your breath away.

You really have to see this for real.

My photos do it no justice I'm afraid!

My family listening in the guided tour which saved us a lot of queuing time.

I found I have a shorter attention span when I really can't understand accents. Ho hum... something to work on.

Under the arena

Views over the Forum

Rome's Chiesas and Basilicas

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Sant'Andrea della Valle

Santa Maria in Trastevere

The glitzy ceiling in Santa Maria in Trastevere.

I loved this church. This is Santa Maria in Ara Coeli just off the Campidoglio.

The chandeliers are crazy!

The floor tiles were fabulous in here too. Weird to think they may not be so defined in 10 years time and smooth as a peach in a couple of hundred.

Sant Angnese in Agone just off Piazza Navona.

Another wonderful dome and some fabulous reliefs.

Chiesa Santa Maria Loreto

Chiesa del Gesu