Founded in the early 16th Century by Pope Julius II, the museums include the famous Sistine Chapel with its ceiling by Michelangelo (absolutely worth seeing - and get there early before the crowds), and host more than 5 million visitors annually - that's right, over 5 million visitors!
A hint. If you're going to come to the museums, plan to give yourself at least 3 hours, if not 4, as the collection is extensive, and there's quite a lot of walking involved - and it's worth the time. So, it's probably best to plan to start your day here; and if you do that, to avoid the very long queues, as well as the significant build-up of crowds throughout the museums as the day progresses, I really do advise you to book on-line - it might cost an extra 5 euros, but it's definitely worth it to skip the queue, and also it seems that the museum opens before the ticket-counter does, so if you have booked on-line, you can actually get in early, so to speak. Also, the museums are closed on Sundays (other than the last Sunday of the month, but then only until 2pm with last entry at 12:30pm, and it is free that day, so expect huge crowds and a very long queue to get in).
There are bronze-age items to Pope-mobiles, Egyptian works, Etruscan pottery, Roman and Greek statues, mosaics and frescoes, important renaissance art, works by the likes of Raphael, da Vinci, and Caravaggio, as well as a section of modern religious art-work.
There were a few things I found disturbing, and not in the sense of the art-work itself.
Firstly, it has to be remembered that while the collection is opened to the public, this is essentially a private collection - one of if not the most extensive and impressive private collections in the world; make no mistake that you are visitor to the "Museum of the Popes of Rome".
Secondly, the wealth is overwhelming - just think about the value of this collection, and the fact that it is held by the Catholic Church. Now, I'm not saying that the Church could solve world hunger, but there has been an awful lot of money tied up in these museums for around 500 years, and I can't help but wonder if this is the best use of the Church's money. While opened to the public, it remains the property of the Church. And although a number of pieces have been gifted to popes over the years, you can't help but wonder at the reciprocal expectations that existed.
Thirdly, there is the continuing idolisation theme, with idolistic artworks making up a reasonable chunk of the display.
Fourthly, there is the obvious distortion of history through art; we may be able to better understand it now, but I can't help but wonder about the values in a simpler age. The popes of the day often had their own likeness painted into the faces of heroes; there is the dressing of the Holy Family in the dress of the times of the painters; and there is the placement of popes, cardinals and others in historic scenes, where clearly they could not have been. Allegorical perhaps, but still you can't help but wonder about the sheer audacity of it.
Fifthly and finally, there is the distinct lack of penises on the statues of male nudes; clearly they have been either rather crudely hacked off, or covered at a later date with a carefully placed (but somewhat out-of-place) fig-leaf. Honestly, this represents one of the greatest defilements of art that has been perpetrated. And this in galleries where women's breasts are happily openly shown, often with the Madonna breast-feeding the Christ child, and from an organisation where many of their works show the Madonna squirting breast-milk from heaven into the open mouths of men.
Having got that off my chest, let me just say "WOW" - this is a wonderful museum that if you ever visit Rome, you simply must visit, and give yourself plenty of time to do it the justice that it totally deserves - you will not be disappointed. When visiting, you have to look up - almost every ceiling is richly decorated throughout the complex. So, let's start with a series of ceilings:
It was time to head over to St Peter's (Basilica in Rome, not College in Adelaide); however, as it was a Wednesday, not only had the basilica been shut all morning, but it had been shut due to the Papal Audience held in St Peter's square on Wednesday mornings. This meant that a few thousand pilgrims who had been to listen to the Pope had only recently been able to form a very long line to enter the Basilica. Reviewing the line, and the likely crowd inside, I decided to head off and come back first thing on Friday morning.
The Piazza Navona is a city square built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. It is one of the most famous and considered the most beautiful of Rome's many squares. The large and lively square features three magnificent fountains and is the home of the Baroque church of Sant'Agnese in Agone (1670), which, like all churches of note in this city, also has a street-side beggar.
Today, the Piazza is filled with lots of tourists and all sorts of tacky tourist paraphernalia.
Yes, that's my washing up there; in the courtyard at the back of the building I'm staying in.
That is more than enough for one day!