Monday, June 22nd:  Day 8.
Our last day of the Rome trip we spent in the Vatican. To begin our visit, we entered its museum and studied a sculpture of Laocoon and his sons being eaten by sea serpents. Its background was copied from the aftermath of Homer's Iliad. Specifically, the moment it depicts is in an episode in which the Trojan priest was sentenced to death by a Greek patron god, Poseidon, for believing (correctly) that the Trojan Horse was a trap. Further in our visit, the Belvedere Torso became obvious. In spite of the fact that it had no head, limbs, or discernible theme, Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo strongly admired it for its detailed and beautiful musculature. Nearby was the School of Athens, painted by Raphael during the Renaissance. It showed the famous philosophers of Ancient Greece, including Aristotle, Plato, and Euclid. Coming upon the museum's finest artwork, we entered the Sistine Chapel, in which Michelangelo vibrantly arrayed all of Christian mythology, from Adam's creation to Judgement Day. Ironically, the Sistine Ceiling is considered his greatest achievement, even though he despised painting, but was forced to create it through fear that the pope's powerful influence would destroy his career. As we left the Vatican Museum, we headed for the city's other site of interest.
  
 St. Peter's Basilica, built in the late 17th century, was meant to establish dominance over the rising popularity of Protestantism with awe-inspiring displays of art, crafted primarily by Bernini. Most prominently, its main occupant was St. Peter himself. He is currently buried under marble steps, surrounded by four pillars, which support a sagging slab, similar to a four-poster bed. A short distance away was a statue of him, which you could touch the feet of. From a broad point of view, one should have expected a grand production of art from the Vatican, but no one could ever have guessed the riveting details that made a three-hour visit an experience of a lifetime. --Josh