Our day started early with a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica. It was quite an experience to be there and see the sculptures and paintings in person as opposed to just seeing photos of them in art books.

St. Peter’s Square

‘Pieta’, Michelangelo

After an afternoon rest break, we had a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. These photos are all from the Museum as no photography is allowed in the Sistine Chapel.

‘The School of Athens’, Raphael

See the documentary and take a 3D virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel’s Ceiling and Last Judgment presented by ItalyGuides.it:

See more photos:

• St. Peter’s Basilica

• Vatican Museum

This morning, we left Florence and took a high-speed train to Rome. We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch, and then took a city bus tour of Rome, stopping at the Coliseum for a visit.

Italo High-Speed Rail

Lunch at The Scalini Restaurant

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Coliseum

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Arch of Constantine

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We drove to our hotel and ended out day with our farewell reception and dinner (held one day in advance as we would be visiting the Vatican Museum the following evening).

See more photos:

• City Bus Tour of Ancient Rome