23/01/2022
Musei Vaticani and Ca****la Sistina
One of the world’s largest museums is a sometimes overwhelming maze incorporating areas, like the incomparable Sistine Chapel, which were here long before you could buy a ticket. The museum began as a collection of ancient sculpture begun by Pope Julius II in his private summer palace in 1503, and it’s been added to ever since. The immense collection represents the accumulated fancies and obsessions of a long line of strong, often contradictory personalities. As well as the celebrated work of Michelangelo and Raphael, the collections include Etruscan grave goods, cut outs by Matisse, a piece of the moon donated by Nixon, and a 120m-long (390ft) gallery painted with the most accurate maps in the world from the late 16th century.