Vatican City

Our guide for the tour of Rome was great, and he told us a lot of interesting stories about the area. As he pointed out, and as depicted here, Vatican City is a separate country from Italy (Carole is pictured straddling one of the Italian borders.) The Pontifical Swiss Guard, whose origins date back to the 15th century, is charged with protecting the pope (while looking like jesters!)

Pictures shown here include the ceiling of the Gallery of Maps (created from 1580-1583). This gallery contains a series of painted topographical maps of Italy, which are based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. It also contains the tapestry "Resurrection of Christ", one of the best examples of moving perspective in the history of art. Finally, it includes an early 20th century pope-mobile, and one of the world's holy water stoups.Read more