Vatican

The promise of great things to come:



Vatican's Belvedere Court:


Olives ripening in front of Vatican's galeries:


A couple of sculptures making an impression:




The ceiling of the Map Room:


The Map Room ceiling is fractal. It's level of complexity does not decrease with close-ups:


Detail on one of the maps:


St Peter's dome reflecting from a Map Room window:


Ceiling of the papal apartments painted by Raphael:


The coat of arms of pope Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere. The oak tree was the della Rovere heraldic symbol:


Another papal coat of arms, this one of Paul III:


Detail from the Raphael fresco in the papal apartments. The frescos were commissioned by Julius II, who already had other painters, including Raphael's teacher, working on them. Raphael whitewashed and over-painted all of them - except that of his teacher.


Raphael was only 25 when he began painting the Papal Rooms:


Vatican, as a separate country, possesses a full selection of service vehicles. One of each type.


Spied through a service window - Vatican Swiss Guard uniforms:


The famous double-helix staircase inside the Vatican museum complex:


The modern papal palace, currently unused by Pope Francis: