Founded by Pope Julius
II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican
Museums (Italian: Musei Vaticani) boast one of the world's greatest art
collections. Exhibits, which are displayed along about 7km of halls and
corridors, range from Egyptian mummies and Etruscan bronzes to ancient busts,
old masters and modern paintings. Highlights include the spectacular collection
of classical statuary in the Museo Pio-Clementino, a suite of rooms frescoed by
Raphael, and the Michelangelo-painted Sistine Chapel. (Lonely Planet)
Received
via Mrs. Geeta Pradhan, GT, Sakyong Chisopani JHS
