Today, the day after our return to Rome from Sicily, was a big day for big art. It began in the Vatican Museums.  They were remarkably without crowds. We stayed for a long time in the Sistine Chapel.  We sat and looked, stood and looked, read and looked, and listened and looked. Michelangelo was quite a guy. That he could conceive of the images and stories in this room is outstanding, but then he went on to realize it all in paint. The ceiling and the large Judgement fresco behind the altar are glorious. No pictures were allowed so I can't share them here. If I could, I would want most to show the amazing movement he creates in the large Last Judgement. All is in a massive and compelling swirl.

Our next major stops(oh, there is so much to see here) were the rooms by Raphael. It's wonderful to think that while Michelangelo was in one room working, Raphael was in another. It would be splendid to know what they might have said to each other about their work. Photos were allowed here, but it was impossible to get more than a hint. 

After all the painting, really big painting, that we tried to absorb while visiting Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Raphael's rooms, we came upon this little gem by Morandi. How lucky we are for all.

We had only a day before flight to Sicily but we used it well. These are just a few of the many pictures we took.  We enjoyed wonderful warm weather and look forward to more of that in the south..

This is our first day in Italy. It is a brief stop in Rome before we leave tomorrow for our 14 days in Sicily

Happily, we return to this lovely neighborhood just east of the Villa Borghese for a full six days post Sicily. I love living amongst all these ochre walls and umbrella pines.