During my low key day yesterday, I spent some time figuring out what I’d do during my last full day in Rome. I decided to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. I bought a ticket for the 3pm entrance, so I got up at around 2pm.
I decided that I would take the Rome Metro to get there because it was a bit further away and in Vatican City. The ride was super quick and I was able to just tap my credit card at the turnstile. There was a short delay but no one knew why. I felt like I’d done a good job of fitting in because someone thought I was a local and asked me in Italian if I knew what was happening. The museum was a few blocks from the station and I was able to go in without waiting in line after showing my ticket and CDC card.
I spent around 3 hours exploring since there was so much to observe. Everything was great but my favorite was definitely the Gallery of Maps. The ceiling and walls were completely decked out with all the finest details. I’d seen photos of this room online before and it’s usually packed so I got lucky with there being a lot less people than usual. The New Wing full of marble work was also really cool and I liked the Galleria Degli Arazzi, the Gallery of The Tapestries.
I’m not at all religious but regardless of the subject of the art, seeing it all in person was such a fun experience. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was absolutely beautiful. There are no photos allowed so I was able to really take everything in within the moment instead of trying to capture things perfectly.
The Sistine Chapel is one of the last stops as you work your way through all of the galleries, so after skipping past the gift shop with tons of Pope merch, I walked through the last few galleries and decided to grab dinner. I stopped at a restaurant that looked cute and got some vegetable soup. Because I was feeling really hungry and wanted leftovers for work, I ended up also getting a sampler pasta dish with Gnocchi al Pesto Con Pachinoi e Pinoli, Cacio e Pepe, and Fettucine Burro e Tartufo. Of course, by the time I finished the soup, I was full so I got the rest to go.
I took the metro back to the hostel and while I had planned to take a nap because I was traveling during my sleeping hours the next day, I ended up getting distracted by some news back home surrounding a specific music festival. After spending over an hour doing a little research, I went upstairs to pack for the following day. I was able to successfully pack one of my big, fuzzy coats in my suitcase after taking my lighter jacket out which was a major win for me.
Someone new joined our room, a female from Chicago, which was a fun shift from the past few nights where it had been me and three other guys. I chatted with her for a bit while I packed and then headed downstairs to start work. We finished right on time and I had successfully completed a full work week while working in a different timezone. I went to sleep for a very brief period of time before hitting the road the next day for my next adventure.