Rome with the Parents, Day 3: St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican, & Wine Tour

Day 3 of Rome started out with another big day at St. Peter's Basilica!!! Holy cow, this place was amazing.   From the columns to the statues, this place has it all!! As you can see from the photos, they were setting up for some kind of event, of which I am sure the Pope would be speaking at.  Inside the church, was even more amazing.  The details and paintings on the walls and ceilings were truly a sight to see.  This was probably my second favorite thing in Rome.  Just breathtaking.  

The pictures really did not do the Basilica justice; however, it was something we will remember forever.  We then continued on our journey to the Vatican museum and Sistene Chapel.  One thing I learned on this trip is that the Vatican is actually it's own state, so when you say you are going to the Vatican, it is literally another state.  It has its own post office, police department, etc.  Pretty cool I thought.  This was a small hike to get over there and as we were approaching, the line to get into the museum was probably a mile long.  It was insane.  Good thing I pre-gamed this and purchased tickets online at the Vatican website.  We had tickets that included no line waiting and a tour guide inside the museum.  It was well worth the money.  I am sure some people stood in line for hours.  We were able to walk right in and only wait about 15 minutes for our tour to start.  The museum was great and it took us 2 hours to get to the end to see the magnificent Sistene Chapel.  No pictures were allowed but something we will always remember.

After our morning we relaxed at lunch then headed back to the USO Rome for our private wine tour. We were driven by a private driver to Frascati, a country town famous for its exquisite wine and olive oil production.  We were the only ones there and had the vineyard all to our selves.  The wine was delicious and we all enjoyed a sunny afternoon sipping wine and relaxing in the beautiful country side.  This was truly picturesque.  Of course, we couldn't leave without buying a case of wine!! We have been enjoying it ever since. :)