It was such a relief that our Vatican time slot wasn’t until 1 PM, giving us a chance to catch up on some much-needed rest. We kicked off the day at a little café near our hotel called Il Baretto. Sitting outside in the crisp morning air with a view of the street, we enjoyed three cappuccinos, a croissant, a donut, and an egg sandwich—all for only €18! It’s incredible how much cheaper food is here compared to back home.

After breakfast, we made our way to the Vatican by bus, arriving for our 1 PM entrance time. The crowds were intense, but thankfully Jordan had booked our tickets in advance, so we avoided the massive line of people trying to get in without tickets. Once through security, the Vatican’s entrance felt like a busy train station, with kiosks and gift shops everywhere. We headed straight for the Pinecone Courtyard to start our tour.

The courtyard was lovely, with its famous pinecone statue symbolizing enlightenment, rebirth, and fertility. Nearby was the bronze sphere, representing the modern world. After some pictures, we started our tour of the Vatican Museums using Rick Steves self-guided audio tour.

There were so many standout pieces—the two that really stuck with me though were the Belvedere Torso and the Laocoön statue. We’d seen replicas of Laocoön throughout Italy, so it was pretty amazing to finally see the original. As for the Belvedere Torso, Michelangelo was apparently obsessed with it, calling it his “teacher” and using it for inspiration in his work.

Walking through the museums, we saw stunning rooms filled with ancient treasures. One of my favorites was the Egyptian Museum room, which had a collection of ancient perfume bottles—I wanted to buy some! We also passed through the Raphael Rooms, which were breathtaking.

The highlight of the Vatican was, of course, the Sistine Chapel. We stood in awe for about 30 minutes while Rick Steves’ guide walked us through the history and meaning behind Michelangelo’s incredible frescoes. It was fascinating to learn that fresco painting had to be done quickly while the plaster was still wet, or they’d have to scrape it all off and start again. The restoration work they did a while back was remarkable too; they even left a small corner unrestored to show the difference in color. Apparently it took over 30 years to complete! 

As we stood there, guards constantly reminded visitors not to take pictures, and every 15 minutes, an announcement echoed through the chapel reminding everyone to respect the holy place. I had already snapped a couple of photos before realizing it wasn’t allowed. I was curious and looked into it, and apparently Nippon, a Japanese company, funded the restoration in exchange for exclusive reproduction rights—hence the strict rules on photography. I never would have thought the Sistene Chapel was copyrighted! 

Before I write about our next stop though, I want to share all the other pictures I took from the Vatican, there were a lot!

After leaving the Sistine Chapel, we took a break at the Vatican cafeteria, enjoying some pizza before heading to our next stop: St. Peter’s Basilica.

We walked the 15 minutes to St. Peter’s Square, but the line to enter was outrageous—it would have taken us three hours to get in! We learned later that there’s a secret entrance from the Sistine Chapel reserved for tour groups, which would have saved us the hassle.

Our day took a slight turn when Jordan received an email about potential train delays due to a strike, which might affect our trip to Pompeii the next day. We decided to head back to the hotel to figure out the logistics. 

Navigating the bus system after leaving St. Peter’s Basilica was more of an adventure than we anticipated. We walked to a bus stop, but nothing made sense! The signs didn’t match the routes on our phones, and there was no crosswalk in sight to safely cross the massive, busy street. The only safe way to cross was way down the street through an underpass, which wasn’t exactly convenient at that moment.

Naturally, we ended up doing the “unsafe” thing and sprinted across the road, dodging traffic, just to check the signs on the other side. Still confused, and after crossing back and forth twice, we finally gave up. At that point, a cab seemed like the best option—€20 never felt more worth it!

Back at the hotel, we scrambled to rearrange our travel plans and managed to book tickets through Trenitalia’s private metro and bus system, ensuring we’d arrive in Pompeii on time for our tour. Crisis averted!

With our travel plans sorted, we went downstairs to ask the concierge for another dinner recommendation. He’s been so helpful and even gave us a list of dishes to order at his recomme Darion, Trattoria da Alfredo e Ada. The food was amazing! I had a traditional Roman dish, amatriciana, while Jordan ordered the lasagna. We also tried the artichokes, a Roman staple, and the vittella arrosto (veal scallopine in lemon sauce). It’s a small, family-run spot, so we shared a table with a lovely couple from Colorado, which made for a very pleasant evening.

After dinner, we grabbed some gelato and enjoyed it on our hotel’s terrace, overlooking the city of Rome. We didn’t stay out too long, though, because we had one last early morning ahead of us—our trip to Pompeii!