Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City. The Vatican is actually its own country, with Swiss Guards at the gates. We filed past the tomb of the recently deceased Pope John Paul II, toured the Vatican Museum (which included Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, no photos allowed...) and walked around inside the church, the world's longest nave and the dome was designed and started by Michaelangelo.

The Hall of Maps. All along the walls are frescoes telling the history of Italy, from the beginning of time, the spread of the Roman Empire, and the unification of Italy. The ceiling is covered in frescoes telling bible stories that correspond to the map painted on the wall below it.

One of Raphaello's dome paintings in the Vatican.

Michaelangelo's "Pieta". Well, one of them. We saw another in Florence that he did shortly before he died. This is behind bullet-proof glass in St. Peter's.