The Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica and square.

Yesterday we hit the road early for a day trip to the Vatican with our good friends, the Smiths. It was a perfect day: almost no clouds with temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees. After the 2+ hour drive, the kids were just a ball of energy.

Enter Saint Peter's Square, which provided the perfect setting for the kids to play catch and chase pigeons while the parents took pictures and found an opportunity to have adult conversation. Next, we headed to a "little known" attraction - the Sistine Chapel. To say it was breathtaking is a gross understatement. As we stood in awe of the magnificent frescoes, Ethan just happened to have some fruit snacks (which equals a few minutes of silence), and Allison curiously looked around before asking with an air of disappointment, "where is the play area?" So, Michelangelo impressed two out the four Bleichers today.

Despite eating their way through the day, the kids hurried us back to St. Peter's Square to have a picnic lunch. Yes, we can now say that jello pudding snacks and cheese sticks have been consumed in St. Peter's Square.

After strolling up and down the banks of the nearby Tiber River, we found an ice-skating rink and spent a while watching the skaters navigate the fast-melting ice while listening to the Beastie Boys. We headed back to the car, loaded up, and headed back to Naples. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day!

The magnificent ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Caroline's great shot of us!

One of the awe-inspiring chambers in the Vatican Museum.