20
Rome/Vatican City
THE BORGIA APARTMENT
Another exhibit really worth seeing is the Borgia
Apartment. Here Pinturicchio (formal name, Bernardino
di Betto) labored for nearly three years (1492-1495) to
fresco the private residence of the notorious Borgia pope,
Alexander VI. During cleaning of one of his frescoes, The
Resurrection, a scene was revealed that is believed to be the
earliest known European painting of Native Americans —
the fresco was completed just two years after Christopher
Columbus had returned from his travels to the New World.
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
It’s hard to visit the Vatican Museums without taking a
photo of the elegant spiral staircase leading down from
the museums, which was designed by Giuseppe Momo.
Completed in 1932, the double helix flight of steps allows
patrons to simultaneously walk up one side and down
the other.
Elizabeth Heath has lived in the Umbria region of Italy since 2009 and
has been writing for TripSavvy since 2017. She has also written for
Frommer’s, Huffington Post, USA Today, and more.
TripSavvy.com is one of the top-10 travel information sites in the world.
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BORGIA APARTMENT
GREGORIAN EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
THE GREGORIAN EGYPTIAN MUSEUMS
Founded in 1839, exhibitions in the Museo Gregoriano
Egiziano demonstrate the importance and influence
of the pharaonic culture in Roman history. See ancient
mummies, delicate papyruses, and captivating pieces
from the Near East, many of which were added to the
museum’s collections in the 1970s.
THE GALLERY OF TAPESTRIES
At around 246 feet long, the Gallery of Tapestries
(Galleria degli Arazzi) is just slightly smaller than its maps
counterpart. Featuring beautiful vaulted ceilings decorated
in delightful trompe l’oeil, the textiles were woven in Rome
by the Barberini workshop during the reign of Pope Urban
VIII. Pay attention to The Resurrection, which is a wonderful
example of a technique called “moving perspective.” Look
at Jesus’ eyes as you walk by and you will notice that they
seem to follow you as you pass.