The Vatican Museum is home to an astounding number of Renaissance art work, sculptures and antiquated treasures. We’ve grossly underestimated the amount of content we had to cover and I wish we had dedicated a full day, or even two so that we can browse leisurely through the immense collection that the Museum had to offer.

(above) Some of the streets on the way to the Vatican City. The whole place was inundated with tour guides looking for customers. (below) Of Demons & Angels.

(above) A long corridor located just before the entrance to the Gallery of Maps (below) serves as a repository for sculptures not on public display.

(above) A fantastic view of the city from one of the open walkways in the museum.

(below) At passing glance this looks just like a regular basrelief on a ceiling, but is actually an expertly painted fresco made to look like one, with startling results. Much of the magic I think, lies in the painted shadows, “baked oclussion” as we call it in VFX jargon.

(above) A painting that seems oddly out of place in the Museum, more akin to the Romantic/Symbolist movement than Renaissance. Unfortunately I failed to identify the name and artist – if you do know please tell me.

(below) One of the many magnificent frescos found near the Raphael Rooms, decorated against a backdrop of golden mosaic tiles.

(above) Paintings in the Raphael Rooms – the visitors in the above picture should give you a good idea of how massive these paintings are. (below) The Deliverance Of Saint Peter, demonstrating a fantastic optical illusion, as if an actual cell is physically present behind the wall and painted cellar grates.

(above) Close-up of yet another out of place (and style) painting, Il Precursore by Italian artist Giulio Aristide Sartorio. The style is very much Symbolist and the Pre-Raphaelites, of which I completely adore.

(above) A covert shot I took of the Sistine Chapel frescoes by the impossibly talented Michelangelo. Quite a bit of restoration has been done to bring back the dynamic colors and I can only imagine looking at the art work during the hey days of its initial completion some 500 years (!) ago, and how jaw-dropping that would have been.