The fourth day was a late start. We had tickets to visit the Vatican later in the day.
After travelling to the city and looking around, we toured the Castel Sant'Angelo, which is situated at the end of the via leading to the Vatican.
The castle is quite impressive, an enormous round structure enclosed by defensive walls.
The castle exterior hides the large museum inside, with many rooms and artefacts from Roman history on display.
The decoration is everywhere, frescoes covering the whole room.
There are many indications of the defensive capabilities of the site.
Our scheduled visit to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel was to start at 3 pm, so we made our way to the appointed meeting place, where we were assured a 'fast track' entry to bypass the long queues.
True to their word, the representative guided us into the site, and we were then free to wander through the palace, looking at the opulence on display.
Though this mosaic floor may have been laid after a heavy session of wine intake, if it was done freehand, then 'not bad !'.
The tour through the palace and the subsequent Sistine Chapel consisted of endless rooms and corridors, all displaying incredible decoration.
The wonder did wear off after the first fifteen or so.
Having finally reached the actual Sistine Chapel, we were told that no photography was allowed - somewhat disappointing.
As expected, the Michelangelo ceiling is impressive.
The final surprise on our way to the exit was this double spiral staircase, one layer for travelling down and a different level for going up.
