By Johan Mengesha, Senior Editor
There are few works of art as magnificent as the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Or at least, so I hear. The ethereal
beauty of "The Creation of Adam" in person remains a
mystery to me, because, as it turns out, the Sistine Chapel is
closed on Sundays.
Planning the Perfect Trip
One of my favorite pastimes while living in London was to browse Ryanair's website for cheap plane tickets to other European cities. When I found a round-trip ticket to Rome for 50 pounds, it was a no brainer--I had to go. My friend Paul from Los Angeles was visiting his brother and sister-in-law in Germany, so I told him to meet me there.
Paul and his brother and sister-in-law had arrived a day earlier and already seen the Vatican, so I figured I'd spend Saturday with them, covering the must-see stops on the eastern side of the Tiber River. That way, I could enjoy every square inch of Michelangelo's masterpiece the next day without being in a rush to go somewhere else. The theory I was relying on was that this was one of the largest churches in the world, so surely it had to be open to the public on a Sunday.
I'd never been to the Eternal City before, but I figured that three days would give me enough time to witness all the beauty it had to offer, if I just stayed caffeinated and planned wisely. Luckily, you don't have to look far to find a good espresso in Rome, but trying to cover all the sights in such a short time requires some thought.
I always knew, when I came to Rome, one of my top priorities was to visit the Sistine Chapel, because I've always found the story behind it so interesting. Michelangelo was more of a sculptor than a painter, and didn't even want to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel -- the pope practically made him to do it. Yet his painting work in the Sistine Chapel is what most people remember him for, other than the statue of David.
Sightseeing and Gelato
We got off to an early start on Saturday. The four of us took a tour of the Colosseum and the palace ruins on Palatine Hill, ate coconut-, caramel- and mango-flavored gelato outside the Pantheon, and rested our legs on the edge of the Trevi Fountain while scheming to eat more gelato. At least I was.
My feet were aching from six hours of walking when we sat down for a late lunch around 3 p.m. We settled on a restaurant that didn't look too touristy and had some fresh mozzarella and prosciutto as an appetizer and some forgettable pasta as the main course. Anyone for more gelato?
Paul and I spent the rest of the evening drinking bottles of cold Peroni Nastro Azzurro on the Spanish Steps, people-watching as the day came to a close. We were going to share a bottle of wine, because when in Rome ... but the market didn't have any corkscrews for sale.
A Sad Realization
The next morning I was out of the hostel at 9 a.m., and I headed straight to the Vatican, breakfast salami-and-mozzarella panino in hand. I zipped by the colorful Swiss Guard and into the enormous St. Peter's Square and was faced with a line of tourists that seemed to go on forever. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with the Sunday theory. Luckily, the line moved pretty fast, and by the time I finished my panino I was at the front, ready to walk into the basilica and cross out the final must-see item on my list.
Once I was inside, the extraordinary design, art and detail of the building literally took my breath away. The sun, so bright you could reach out and touch the rays and feel the heat on your hands, peeked in through a window high up, illuminating the people walking around the marble floor in silent awe of the paintings and sculptures that adorned the walls.
I kept looking for "The Creation of Adam," but I couldn't spot it anywhere. I only found the Treasury Museum in the back of the basilica, and it was in there that I overheard another tourist say that the Sistine Chapel was actually next door in the Apostolic Palace and not inside St. Peter's Basilica. I grabbed a tourist guide in the gift shop and came to the sad realization that the tourist was right... and also, the Apostolic Palace is closed on Sundays.
Being nonchalant is one thing, but being nonchalant and ignorant at the same time can ruin an otherwise perfect trip. There I was, next door to what is arguably the most precious treasure in the Vatican, and I didn't get to see it because I couldn't be bothered beforehand to look up when the chapel was open. I exited St. Peter's Basilica with huge disappointment and walked right out the Vatican walls and into the nearest café. I plotted my second assault on the Seven Hills of Rome over a large cappuccino and a delicious, creamy Italian pastry. The pouting would have to wait until I got back to my low-budget hostel.
To make the most of the situation, I spent the next five hours trying to cover all Rome's other attractions, such as Villa Medici, Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese, on foot. My fellow travelers had already left the city, so I could set my own agenda. My free tourist map was almost falling apart from overuse, but I managed to navigate up and down the many hills and pass through the Forum and watch the sun slowly disappear behind Palazzo Senatorio before walking back to my hostel.
Reflections
Looking back at the trip, I have to say that it was still a great weekend, despite my gaffe. When you get into tourist mode, it's very easy to fly through all the attractions just so you can say you did, but that doesn't necessarily mean you will feel fulfilled when you're done. Going shopping in an Italian grocery store can be just as culturally satisfying as spending 30 minutes walking through the ruins of a dead emperor's garden. At the very least you'll discover that that's not where the Italians buy their corkscrews.
Rome will always be there, and if I ever return, I have no other place I need to visit except the Sistine Chapel. And I can guarantee it won't be on a Sunday.
Destination Dossier
Destination: Rome, Italy.
Month: March.
Time Spent: Three days. How I Got Around: On foot and the occasional metro ride.
Best Food: The gelateria behind the Pantheon, with more flavors than you could possibly eat.
Best Drink: A cold Peroni on the Spanish Steps.
Must-Pack Item: Comfortable shoes for long walks.
Travel Confession: I Went to Rome and Didn't See the Sistine Chapel originally published on Travels.com
Tell us: Have you ever shown up somewhere and found out it was closed? What's the biggest planning blunder you've made traveling?
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Photo credits: Sistine Chapel courtesy of jonrawlinson, gelato by Paul Kelly, St. Peter's and Roman Forum by Johan Mengesha
