In the evening we took the after-hours tour of the Vatican Museums. With a group of fourteen people, we were allowed to walk through the museum, including the Sistine Chapel, when no other groups were in it. This tour was arranged in advance online through the tour company Italy With Us. A couple of days before the tour, Helen, of Italy With Us, offered to make dinner reservations for us before the tour. We did that and enjoyed a very nice and quick dinner with a mother and son from New York, Gail and Ben. Since our tour was scheduled at 8:30 p.m., we had to have dinner earlier than most restaurants were open. It was nice to have someone else find the restaurant and make the reservation for us. (I like staying in the apartment; it's so spacious. However, I miss having a concierge to help with the details.)

The guards at the Vatican Museums open the door for the late tour just for a minute, so we had to be sure to be at the door at the exact time. We did arrive a little early and were ready when the huge door swung open. The entry inside the museum is light and modern, which concealed the nature of the art we were about to enjoy seeing. We did go through all the usual security, including the metal detector, before starting our tour. Jay was our tour guide for the museums and, after talking with him about all the walking and stair climbing we had done in Rome, he told us that "there's no market for StairMaster in Rome." I agree. We have been up and down hundreds of steps.

Jay also told us that, in comparing the Vatican Museums to the Louvre, the Louvre has more paintings, but the Vatican has more statues. What amazing painting and sculptures they have! My neck and shoulders hurt from looking up so much. We spent about 30 minutes in the Sistine Chapel admiring the paintings on every bit of wall and ceiling space. The works were cleaned and restored recently and are bright and beautiful. Jay pointed out a few places where the painting was not restored to show the contrast before and after restoration. It was a remarkable difference.

As we walked through each section of the museum, the guard accompanying us turned on and off the lights and unlocked and relocked the doors. When it was time for the tour to conclude, he prodded Jay to finish up. It is a ten minute or so walk back to the entrance from the Sistine Chapel, and the guard was ready for us to leave.

The after-hours tour was a splurge, but definitely worth the money. We could see everything easily and for about as long as we wanted without having to look over or around the other visitors.