No trip to Rome would ever be complete without a visit to Vatican City and the Vatican Museum.  Some people travel there for that reason alone.  This was actually my second trip; my first being when I was just sixteen years old. I have to say, I enjoyed it much more this time and was more interested in the ancient art and history than I was back then. We spent the better part of the day here and you could easily spend one or two full days as there is so much to see.  We also did the long and strenuous climb to the top of the balcony of the lantern – 330 stairs up a very narrow (one person-one way), winding staircase.  While it was quite hard and certainly not for the claustrophobic, the amazing views and photo ops were well worth it. There is not enough space on this blog, or any blog for that matter, to capture all the beautiful artwork in so many forms but here are a few of my favorites.