The Vatican & Castle Sant'Angelo

This is day three of our Italy vacation and our second day in Rome. We visited Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica and Castle Saint Angelo. All of which were perfect walking distance from each other.

The Vatican is massive! Overwhelmingly so, you could spend a whole day here looking at artifacts and some of the best art from the Renaissance. We set a strict time limit to make sure we could see the rest of the area. We went during the off season and it was PACKED! Make sure you buy tickets in advance no matter what time you are visiting.

This sculpture is called the Statue of the Nile and was discovered in 1513, the exact date it was made or the artist is unknown.

This is a tribute and final resting place of the 251st Pope: Pius VII.

The way this statue of a teenager rolling his eyes reminded me of my son, Ha Ha.

I was able to sneak outside on a balcony and snap of picture of the surrounding area form the Vatican.

If you love art, this is the place for you. There isn't a ceiling or a bare wall to be seen.

This was an interesting urn used long ago to hold a loved ones ashes after they passed. I feel like one strong breeze would have swept the remains away.

Bronze Age javelin heads from the 8th Century B.C.

Found a neat bronze pot depicting a four headed serpent.

Bronze axe flanges, found in a archeological survey in 1884. These date back to the Late Bronze Age around the 6th century B.C.

There was an entire wing in the Vatican dedicated to pottery, this was my favorite piece. It depicts a soldier dawning his armor and preparing for battle, assisted by a woman (maybe his wife or lover). It was made in 510 B.C.

This hallway is called the, “Gallery of Maps” and is over 360 feet long. Maps cover the both sides of the wall all the way down and the ceiling is graced with over a hundred breath taking paintings. The hallway was commissioned in the 1500. The maps were mostly based on a geographer named Ignazio Danti.

The Vatican also had a gallery dedicated to modern art, this sketch reminded me of something straight out of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I’m think one of the numbered impacts that wiped life from the planet. The sketch is titled, “Deposizione” and the artist was Marino Marini.

Here is the famous Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. There are sitting areas along the wall and you can take a break and soak it all in, very beautiful and a must see if you visit the Vatican.

Ah yes, the Holy Pick Axe and Shovel. In Minecraft, they are rumored to instantly burn mobs as soon as they spawn within range. X_X ha ha.

The flask showed here is for carrying holy water.

Everything in the Vatican was so beautiful, even this hand carved staircase with a beautiful skylight at the top when you went to exit.

Next we moved on to St Peter’s Basilica which was only about a 5 minute walk away, these pillars mark to edge of the Vatican right before you cross back into Rome.

This is known as the Bernini Fountain, found in the court yard of the Basilica.

They just wrapped up a morning service by the time we got there, here a shot of the chairs that were left over outside the Pope’s residence.

As we crossed back over into Rome, here a view of the market street in front of St Peter’s Basilica. There are plenty of places to eat within walking distance left St Peter’s. Do not stop to shop/eat on this main road, every place is a tourist trap and prices are outrageous. My recommendation to take the five minutes and walk to the this place: Restaurant "La Vittoria". This was one of the best resaurants we ate at while in Italy.

If you want to drive a Lambo or Ferrari, here is your chance to rent one by the hour.

After lunch, we moved on to toward Castle Saint Angelo. If you see this bridge, you are headed in the right direction.

The front gates of Castle Saint Angelo, make sure to buy tickets in advance so you don’t have to wait in line. I’m sure you don’t want to spend half you vacation time just sitting in a queue. Everything in Rome sells advanced tickets.

There is a winding walk way to get you up to the castle walls.

Here is a draw bridge that would drop would be invading armies into a prison pit below and severe the main access to the castle.

The castle was constructed at an angle along the Tiber River. The fortress was well equip to sink any advancing naval ships as well.

Italian made pistols and components of the time. They were dissembled so you could easily see the design and mechanisms.

31 Here is a model of how the castle was originally designed in 100 AD.

Here is the completed designed when the castle was repurposes as a fortress. It was decommissioned in 1901 and converted to a museum in 1906.

Here is a statue of an archangel in the court yard. It used to hold armaments in each hand, but they crumbled apart over the years.

Steel & Iron swords used in service during the 17th Century.

The remains of a battle axe used at the fortress.

A gifted pistol created by Dean and Son Gun makers. It was given to General Garibaldi, from Caroline Gillard Phillipson in 1864.

Another pistol on display, from the 19th Century and manufactured by the Neapolitan Armorer.

Short range small cannons for castle defense, most likely used to reduce advancing enemies.

Longer ranged cannons for castle offense, I’m guessing more used to destroy ships before they could get into a firing position on the fortress.

There wasn’t a lot of information on this rife. The craftsmanship on it was uncanny and I’m sure it was never intended to be fired. Absolutely stunning piece to have in a collection.

The ceilings in the residential area of the castle didn’t compare to the Vatican, but was still beautiful.

There is a Café at the top of the castle and each table has its own private archer window to view out of. We didn’t stop for drinks or snacks as we had just eaten, but would make for a good spot to sip a glass of wine or an espresso.

Cannon and cannon balls set alongside the castle walls for defense.

Here is a depiction of Mars, the God of War. However, the Italians also considered this deity as the God of Fertility as well.

The weather was so clear and I was able to capture most of the surrounding Vatican area form atop the castle.

Here is a close up of the giant statue of Archangel, St. Michael. It was created in 1753 and has remained there ever since to keep a watchful eye over the Vatican.

The ceiling in the entertainment hall was worth grapping a photo of as well.

This well in the center of castle’s courtyard ensured a water source when/if the castle had to lock down due to besiegement.

I’m sure this is a mock up catapult of what one would have looked like before they were all replaced with modern cannons.

Here is an archer defense outpost setup along the castle walls.

On our way back to our AirBnB, I managed to snap a picture of this amazing building, not knowing at the time I had just capture the Italian Supreme Court to finish up our day!