We woke up bright and early headed to Vatican City. The queue in the morning stretched the whole way down the side and round the back of said walls. I think the ‘get there early to beat the crowds’ has become a self-fulfilling prophecy because when we left, at around 11ish, the line was noticeably smaller. That being said, you can avoid all that stress and strife if you just buy a ticket in advance! We literally skipped up to the front, no waiting required whatsoever.

Entering the Vatican Museums is like going through airport security and the beginning feels as chaotic as an airport. I would recommend doing some research before you go, getting an audioguide or just booking a guided tour. I wish we had done the latter as the museums, (of which there are many), are so huge and have so much going on in them, it’s hard to take in everything. For me, having someone show and explain the key points and pieces would have been far less overwhelming and more of an enriching experience.

Nonetheless, the Vatican Museums are incredible. Firstly, there are loads! Some 26 different museums, covering everything from the Roman conquest of Alexandria in Egypt to a gallery of maps of various regions in Italy. We meandered through taking in everything we could, ending our time in the Sistine Chapel. I may be late to the party on this, but you actually can’t take pictures in the Sistine Chapel itself. All the pics of gold adorned ceilings are most likely of St Peter’s Basilica, (again, buy a ticket for this because the queue was literally the entire way around St Peter’s Square). I will never understand how these incredible ceilings, sculptures, paintings, tapestries, even the building themselves were created in the days pre-power tools.

We walked around the Trastevere neighbourhood which is all cobbled stones and classic narrow streets. It has the same ‘cool’ vibe of Northern Quarter in Manchester. After brunch, we got some pastries and a coffee. The Italians take their pastries and coffee very seriously and my friend, (who is also Italian), made sure I sampled the best. I had my fill of sfogliatella, (I was absolutely influenced by that tiktok) and maritozzo which is a traditionally Roman ball of what tastes like brioche bread filled with cream). We headed back to the hotel got ready for dinner and drinks before ending our 2nd night in Rome.