Italy. Vatican

  The Vatican is a magical and deeply sacred place, the smallest state in the world, and the most spiritual country at the heart of Italy. Here, we beheld the great works of Raphael and Michelangelo, felt the mysterious spirit of the Sistine Chapel, and even saw the head of the Catholic Church and the "president" of the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI...

  Our first encounter with the Vatican State took place in the evening. We arrived at the "Ottaviano" metro station and headed toward the holy city. However, taking a slight detour from the main entrance to St. Peter's Square, we got a bit disoriented. Eventually, while searching for the entrance, we ended up walking around the entire Vatican State, observing its massive stone boundary walls. It was quite amusing... The entire state can be circled in just about 30 minutes...   

  Finally, arriving at St. Peter's Square, we immersed ourselves in tranquility for a few minutes. Only a few people were strolling around, creating a cozy atmosphere

  During the day, the square was packed... Solitude was a distant memory...

  

 On this day, Pope Benedict XVI, after the Mass, rode his popemobile through the central streets of Rome to honor his followers... He did...  

 After enjoying the festive atmosphere and meeting the Pope, we headed to the Vatican Museums. Every room and courtyard here is filled with art... 

 What stood out the most were the so-called Raphael Rooms, with his legendary fresco "The School of Athens"...

Then, we probably entered the most sacred place, the heart of the Vatican – the Sistine Chapel...

 There was a massive crowd of people of various nationalities. We even got stuck in a queue... We had to slowly move forward for about half an hour to reach the exit, allowing us to fully absorb the spirit of not only this incredibly beautiful place but also our fellow visitors... Photography inside was prohibited, likely because not everyone knows how to take pictures without a flash, which can damage the ancient frescoes. Nevertheless, we managed to take one shot... Michelangelo's most famous fresco on the chapel ceiling, without using a flash...      

At the exit, we encountered a holy water fountain where we dipped our crosses and refreshed ourselves...

 Having cleansed ourselves with holy water, we entered St. Peter's Basilica...

 A beam of light from the dome shone inward, creating a sense of the supernatural presence...    

 In front of the main entrance to the basilica, we saw two members of the Swiss Guard, which is one of the Vatican's armed forces and the oldest army in the world...

   As we left the smallest state in the world, we met people with our symbols ...