Vatican City and Spiaggia

A trip to another city? Ok, so they have their own government, but really the Vatican is a bus ride away from our apartment, and super accessible. Anyway, these our the day's journey.

A group of us met up at 6 in the morning to get to the Vatican, we were attempting to skip all of the tourists, and lines, and it worked. While waiting for some more members of our group Piazza Argentinia, a bunch of cats that hang out in the ruins started following me. Am I destined to be an old cat-lady after all? Maybe.

St. Peter's by sunrise. The architects who did this weren't messing around. They don't call things monumental for no reason. This thing is MONUMENTAL.

If you would like to get into St. Peter's you cannot be wearing shorts, your boobs cannot be hanging out, your belly button cannot be showing, and you must have sleeves.

If you would like to get into St. Peters, you cannot bring a Swiss Army knife, however, water bottles and umbrellas are OK.

St. Peter's Piazza, empty and blissful by sunrise.

See Susan? She's the spec of dust at the base of the column.

The alter.

This is the tallest dome in the entire world. There are five domes in St. Peter's, but this is THE big Kahuna.

Rays of sunlight through the front clerestory windows

Another dome

Shanna's list of Churches to see in your life:
St. Peter's Cathedral
Notre Dame, Paris
The Florence Cathedral
The Pantheon

Many nuns were there that morning, as I'm sure they are every morning. However, none of them were flying, a shame really.

I can't get over the sun rays

Thank you, Michaelangelo.

View of Bernini's courtyard/Piazza from St. Peters

Vatican guards, so cute, I want an outfit like that

Architecture students sitting in the Vatican museum, appreciating art

more of the Vatican museum

Augustus Caesar, if I'm not mistaken

The ceiling of the map room at the Vatican Museum

Pictures of the Sistine Chapel that I wasn't allowed to take...oops!

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, no words to sum up this moment.

St. Peters from a bridge over the Tiber River

After St. Peter's/the Vatican we spent a few hours relaxing on the beach, this time much more crowded than when we first went, but relaxing all the same. Also, the water was a little warmer, so we swam for a little longer, va bene, basta.