Under the basilica spread the Grotte Vaticane where are kept monuments of the former buildings and pontifices' tombs.
Bed and Brekfast Rome. Between the first and the second chapel of the left aisle you can reach the dome, on foot or with the elevator till the
terrace from which you can see the whole city. The Vatican Palace on the right of the basilica is made by a series of
buildings where stand thè pope's residence, Museums,Galleries, Archives and Librairies. The building of this palace was
begun when thè pope carne back from Avignone in 1377, when they settled in theVatican living the former residence.
Every pontirex brought, during the centuries some changement. The entering is by the Portone di Bronzo garded by the
Guardia Svizzera that stili today wears the uniforms drawn by Raffaello and Michelangelo. The Scala Regia by Bernini
brings to the Sala Regia,from which you can enter in the Cappella Paolina painted by Michelangelo.Many of the halls of
the palace are not opened to the public. To see the Museums and Vatican Galeries you must get Viale Vaticano going
throug Via di Porta Angelica and via Leone IV. The buildings which hold the museums were formerly a series of palaces
built for thè pontifices after joined among them by tunnels and courtyards and used to keep the collections.
The works of art that you can find there make the biggest valuable art collection in thè world. The advice is of
following ajourney because the visit to every sector could need of some hours. The enter to thè museums is made by
the Scala Elicoidale planned by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. The Museums which need of a particular guide are
divided:Egyptian Museum, Chiaromonti Museum, Pio dementino Museum, Etruscan Museum, Sala della Biga, Galleria dei
Candelabri, Galleriadegli Arazzi, Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, Pio V Gallery, Religious Modern Art Collection,
Biblioteca Apostolica, Holy Museum, Salone Sistino and Museo Profano, Pinacoteca, Museo Gregoriano Profano,
Museo Pio Cristiano, Museo Missionario etnologico,Carriages Museum. Basides these collection you can visit thè
Borgia Apartment,painted by Pinturicchio, Giulio II della Rovere private apartments known as Stanze di Raffaello,
Loggia di Raffaello and Cappella Sistina. Borgia Apartment Alessandro VI Borgia, pope in 1492 made decorate 6
rooms of his private apartments charging of that Pinturicchio who ended this workbetween 1492 and 1495.
Bed and Brekfast Rome. The
decorations were planned with an "eclettico" style typical in this Spanish pope,mixing allegories, orientai and pagan mythes and holy stories. You must remember that in thè pope's court usually stood prince Djem
(Painted in thè fresco of Disputa di S.Caterina) and with him the exotic and Turkish style,with gold and
magnificence that we can find in this period in thè Vatican. Thè interested rooms are :Sala delle Sibille;
Sala del Credo ; Thè Sala delle Scienze e delle Arti Liberali (with allegories of Antonio da Viterbo); Tha sala
dei Santi (by Pinturicchio, among which thè painting with thè Disputa di S.Caterina) ; The sala dei Misteri
and della Fede (by Pinturicchio with thè beautiful painting showing Alessandro VI on his knees) and the Sala
dei Pontefici (with stuccos and paintings).From thè first hall(sala) by a staircase on the left is possible to
reach thè Giulio II's appartment. Le Stanze di Raffaello In 1508 pope Giulio II Della Rovere charged the joung
Raffaello,come in Rome called by Bramante, to decorate some of thè rooms built during NiccolU V that had
been restored with paintings by Perugino, Sodoma and Peruzzi,in some points left untouched by Raffaello.
The rooms are placed on the upper floor of the Niccolo III's palace in thè part remade by Niccolo V. These were
choosen for its new apartment by Giulio II who didn't love to live in the downstairs rooms painted by
Pinturicchio for Alessandro II Borgia.This apartment, made of 4 rooms needed more than 16 years of work,
so that Raffaello died in 1520 before its ending. Bed and
Brekfast Rome. The room of Segnatura was the piace where documents were
signed and hold the library of the pope. Chronologically it's the first room because the paintings were ended
between 1508 and 151 l,but topographycally it is the second. There are shown the themes of the Disputa del
Sacramentoand of the Scuola di Atene. They both reflect thè pope's umanistic way of thinking:the tryumph of
religion and of thè spiritual truth (in thè Disputa) and the "truth " of philosophers (in thè Scuola di
Atene) and their modern descendants,there are in fact Michelangelo,Bramante,Sodoma and the same Raffaello
shown. There are also the paintings of Parnaso and of the Virtù Teologali and Cardinali, symbolizing
thè Beautiful and the Good. Between 1512 and 1514 Raffaello begins to paint thè following room thè Pope's
private room called Stanza di Elidoro. It gets its name by thè principal painting Thè Cacciata di Elidoro
Dal Tempio,showing thè episode of thè jewish history, with a reference to the politic of GiulioII.The
others are always on thè principal theme of thè defence of thè ehurch cultural and spiritual property:
Leone Magno che arresta la marcia di Attila , S.Pietro liberato dall'Angelo and thè Messa miracolosa
di Bolsena showing an event of 1263. The Stanza dell'Incendio di Borgo was made between 1514 and 1517,
where thè hand of Raffaello can be seen only in some points of thè painting. The episode is about thè
intervention of Leone IV that in 847 A.D. stopped thè burning of the area called Borgo making thè sign
of thè cross. Here recalls thè "classic" Troia burning and thè escape of thè inhabitants of thè city.
The last hall is called of Costantino, begun in 1517 after only 3 years by Raffaello's death, ended
under thè pontificate of Clemente VII in 1525. Here we can find a "mannerist" vìsion with thè
partecipation of thè apprentices Giulio Romano, Giovanni Francesco Pennì and Raffaellino del Colle.
Bed and Brekfast Rome. The Loggia di Raffaello It was planned by Bramante and ended by Raffaello's apprentices: Perin del
Vaga, Giulio Romanoand Giovanni Francesco Penni. It's a gallery with 13 arcades that were decorated
accordìng thè Raffaello's drawings. There are scenes by thè Old Testament, while the pilasters are
dacorated with stuccos and decorations made by Giovanni da Udine. The Cappella Sistina In 1475 pope
Sisto IV charged the architect Baccio Pontelli to build a new Cappella Palatina in thè piace of
anothcr one so it was built a big hall 40 and 13 metres wide, 21 metres high, that ended with a
vault painted in blue and gold colours ,to be a simpìe and severe piace where celebrate reserved
ceremonies. During thè October 1481 were charged thè fiorentine artists Botticelli, Ghirlandaio,
Pinturicchio. and Cosimo Rosselli to realize some paintìngs. There are two cycles of pain-tings
showing thè Vita di Mosè on thè left wall and episodes of thè Christ's Life on thè rìght of thè altar,
and that when they were made between 1481 and 1483 they joined each other according thè medioeval
theme of thè "Concordanza" between thè two Testaments. Originally back to thè aitar there were two
beginning paintings :the one with thè episode of Noè salvato dalle acque and thè other with thè
Christ's Birth,that after were erased to let thè piace to thè Giudizio Universale by Michelangelo.
After from left to right Mosè osserva l'Antica Legge attraverso la Circoncisione by Pinturicchio
and Perugino;Battesimo di Cristo by Pinturicchio and Perugino; Tentazione di Mosé latore della
Legge Scritta by sandro Botticelli and Tentazione di Cristo latore della Legge Evangelica by
Bottìcelli;the Passage of Mar Rosso by Cosimo Rosselli and Vocazione degli Apostoli by Ghirlandaio
Mosé on thè Sinai and thè 'adoration of thè golden Cow by Cosimo Rosselli Thè Sermon of thè
Mountain and la guarigione del lebbroso by Rosselli; Punizione dei Ribelli Core,Dathan and Abiron
by Botticelli and la consegna delle chiavi a S.Pietro by Perugino; Moses's death by Luca
Signorelli and Bartolomeo della Gatta and Thè Last Dinner by Cosimo Rosselli. Among thè Windows
were painted 24 portraits of popes made by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Fra Diamante. Thè
ceiling with thè "volta celeste" was erased when pope Giulio II in 1508 charged Michelangelo of
thè new decorati on,thal thè artist ended without help in 1512.
Bed and Brekfast Rome. Several are thè meanings of thè
vault and thè different themes are thè trame of thè cycle of thè Genesi di Noè placed in thè
centrai part.All around there are thè figu-res of thè Prophets , thè Sibille and thè Episodes of
thè Antenati di Cristo. Close thè four sides of thè vault thè Scenes by thè Old Testament. This
work by Michelangelo is thè best of hìs expression planning a majestic work such as thè classical
magnificence. In 1506 was found near thè Esquilino thè greek-hellenistic marbìe group of
Lacoonte dated in II century B.C and a piece of thè Torso del Belvedereby thè greek Apollonio
di Nestore ,who lived in Rome in thè last years of thè Republicboth them presents in
Michelangelo's inspiration. Thè Giudizio Universale (Universal Judgement) in die Cappella
Sistina is one of thè last "suffered" works by Michelangelo. Thè idea of painting thè wall of
thè aitar with thè Giudizio Universale and thè opposile with La caduta degli Angeli Ribelli
(that is only a pian) is datable during thè pontificate of pope ClementeVII. In 1533 he gave
thè charge of this project to Michelangelo,and taken again by thè successive pope PaoloIll.
The painting began during thè summer 1536 and ended in 1541.Ali thè whole is around thè
centrai figu¬re ,Christ,while ali around thè dcad people and Saints seem to swim in the space ,
and down there are the damned people and Caronte.lt is a work made while thè Catholic Church
was going to the reformation.The same Michclangelo,witness of his time,in the painting appears
in his skin without a corpse held by S.Bartolomeo
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