What would a visit to Rome be without popping in to the Vatican?

Today is the Festa della Liberazione, the day when Italians celebrate the arrival of Allied forces in World War II. This also meant that there were no lessons at the school - instead we set off for our guided tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, led by the chatty Claudio. I think that no matter how many times you can visit somewhere like this, the sheer scale of the place always hits you, especially as you pass room after room of masterpieces. Shuffling along with the crowd, we wound our way through the myriad of buildings, culminating in the Sistine Chapel, where the reverential hush was occasionally broken by orders to move along and keep the silenzio happening. It's always good to learn something new too, like the fact that the ceiling was Michelangelo's first go at painting. After all, he thought of himself as a sculptor and an architect. Almost three hours after we started, we emerged briefly out into the fresh air and blue sky before heading inside Saint Peter's Basilica, where once again we were blown away by the size of the place. We checked out Michangelo's famous Pietà, marvelled at the height of the dome, and touched Saint Peter's foot - well his statue at least. Due to popular demand, we then descended down into the crypt to check out the Papal tombs before emerging once again into the sunshine, via a souvenir shop along the way.
From here we set off towards the Castel Sant'Angelo and across the Tiber towards Piazza Navona.By now we were all a little hungry so we stopped at a little pizza place where some of the girls (Giselle and Natasha to name them) checked out the serving staff and snapped a picture or two. From here we wound our way to Piazza Navona where many school groups seemed to be hanging out, especially watching a troupe of five dancers somersaulting their way across the cobbled stones. I just hope that they raised enough money to pay for their chiropractor visits. Our next stop was the Pantheon with its impressive domed roof and oculus to let in the light, followed by a visit to Michelle's favourite church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, with its deep blue ceiling covered in gold stars.
By this time, our feet were steaming from the day's stroll around Rome so it was time to head back towards the hotel on the metro before dinner in the restaurant next door and an early night.