Dec. 12, 2024

145. Italy - Rome - Vatican City - Secrets of the Sistine Chapel: A Stress-Free Guide

Show Notes
Transcript

An honest guide to experiencing Michelangelo's masterpiece! Journey Joe reveals the best time to visit the Sistine Chapel, where to stand for the best views, and how to actually enjoy it despite the crowds. Learn what those scenes really mean and why you should look for Michelangelo's hidden self-portrait.

Tour Suggestions: vi.me/TEl9v

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Calarugus Shark Media.

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I'm Journey Joe Mitchell and Travel is back. This is

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part two of our look at Vatican City, so make

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sure you listen to part one. While visiting Vatican City,

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you of course will want to see the Cistine Chapel.

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Yes it's amazing, Yes it's worth seeing, but be prepared.

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It's usually crowded, The guards are constantly shushing people, no

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photos allowed, and you'll probably feel a bit rushed. Here's

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my tip. When you first enter, find a spot along

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the wall to lean against. Take at least fifteen minutes

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to just look up and around despite the crowds. This

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is one of the world's great artistic masterpieces and it

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deserves your time. Let me really break down what you're

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going to experience because it helps to be prepared. First off,

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forget any serene, quiet moment you might be imagining. The

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chapel is usually packed, and despite the guards constantly saying

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cilensio and no photos, there's a constant buzz of whispers

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and yes, the occasional camera click from someone trying to

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sneak a picture. But here's the thing. Once you accept

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that this isn't going to be a contemplative experience, you

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can focus on the incredible art above and around you.

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Let me tell you my strategy for really appreciating the

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Sistine Chapel. When you first walk in, resist the urge

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to immediately look up at the famous ceiling. Instead, find

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your spot along one of the walls. I prefer the

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right side, near the back. Now look at the side

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walls first. These are incredible frescoes by artists like Boticelli

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and Peragino, showing scenes from the lives of Moses and Jesus.

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They're actually easier to see than the ceiling, and they'll

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help you get your bearings. Once you're settled, then look up.

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The ceiling is divided into nine main panels showing scenes

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from the Book of Genesis. The most famous is the

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creation of Adam. You know, the one where God's finger

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is reaching out to touch Adams. But there's so much

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more up there. Take your time. Start from the entrance

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and work your way toward the altar. Panel by panel.

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The figures get larger and more confident as you go,

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showing how Michelangelo's technique evolved during the four years he

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spent painting it. Here's something fascinating our guide pointed out

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look for the self portrait Michelangelo supposedly painted into the

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flayed skin held by Saint Bartholomew in the last Judgment

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scene on the altar wall. It's a bit gruesome, but

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it shows his sense of humor and maybe how he

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felt after after spending so many years painting these frescoes.

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The colors will probably surprise you. They're much brighter than

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most reproduction show, especially since the recent cleaning. The blues

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are particularly vivid, and those muscular figures Michelangelo painted they're

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called ignuity, and they're not actually angels or cherubs. They're

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more like athletic models, showing off the artist's mastery of

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the human form. One thing that blew my mind was

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learning about how Michelangelo painted it. He had to develop

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a special recipe for his plaster that would stay wet

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long enough for him to paint on it, but not

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so wet that it would drip on his face as

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he lay on his back on the scaffolding, and those

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rumors about him lying on his back to paint not

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quite true. He was actually standing bent backward, which some

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doctors think contributed to a permanent crook in his neck.

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Want to sound really smart, Look for the section he

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painted first. It's Noah's drunkenness, and the figures are notably

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smaller than in later scenes because michael Angelo hadn't yet

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realized how the height would affect their appearance from below.

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He eventually started making them larger so they'd be more

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visible from the floor. Now about those guards shouting Celensio,

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they're not being jerks, I promise. The chapel is still

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used for official Vatican functions, including the papal conclave where

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they elect new popes. Those wooden benches along the walls

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that's where the cardinals sit during the conclave, and if

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you look up near the ceiling you'll spot the small

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chimney they use for the famous white or black smoke

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signals during papal elections. My biggest tip if you're on

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a tour and again check our show notes for the

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ones we recommend. They usually time it so you hit

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the Cistine Chapel near the end of the museum's opening hours.

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This is perfect. The crowds are typically smaller, and you

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might actually get a few moments of relative quiet to

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really take it all in. If you can book an

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after hours tour. Even better, the chapel with only a

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handful of people in it is a completely different experience.

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Let me tell you about a hidden gem, the Vatican Gardens.

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You can only visit with a guided tour and you

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need to book well in advance. Again, check our show

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notes for recommended tours. But it's worth it. The gardens

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are beautiful, peaceful, and offer a completely different perspective on

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Vatican City. Plus they're never as crowded as the museum's.

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Here's a money saving tip. If you're planning to see

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a lot of Rome sites, look into the Roma pass. But,

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and this is important, the basic Roma past doesn't include

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the Vatican museums. There's a separate pass called the Omnia

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Vatican and Rome Card that does include them, along with

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skip the line entrance. Do the math based on what

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you plan to see, but it might save you both

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money and time. One of my favorite experiences was attending

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the Papal audience on Wednesday morning. Even if you're not Catholic,

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it's fascinating. The Pope addresses the crowd in multiple languages

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and the atmosphere is really special. You need free tickets.

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Your hotel can usually help you get them, or you

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can request them through the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

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Before we wrap up, let me give you some practical

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food advice. The area right around Vatican City is tourist central,

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which means overpriced restaurants with mediocre food. Walk about ten

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to fifteen minutes into the Pratti neighborhood in stead. This

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is where locals eat and you'll find some excellent restaurants

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at reasonable prices. There's a great local market too, Mercato Triumphal.

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If you want to see where real Romans shop, remember

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to check out the tours we recommend in our show notes.

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They really do make the difference between a stressful experience

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and an enjoyable one. And as always, if you'd like

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to receive these episodes without commercials, head over to caalaroga

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dot com slash Plus. There's a link right in the

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show notes. Next week a look at exploring the hidden

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Necropolis in Vatican City. I'm Joe Mitchell and travel is back.

145. Italy - Rome - Vatican City - Secrets of the Sistine Chapel: A Stress-Free Guide

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