Breakfast at your hotel

This tour at the Vatican Museums will show you what one of the greatest artists of all: Michelangelo.

The tour starts with the Vatican Museums’ tour. At first sight, you will be caught by the modern entrance built for the Jubilee in 2000, but then – inside the museums – the Sistine Chapel will amaze you.

The ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The order was originally to paint the twelve apostles, however Michelangelo demanded a free hand in the pictorial content of the scheme. He painted a series of nine pictures now worldwide famous.

However, the Church had some big homosexual scandals in the XVIth century: for example, Pope Julius III and his young lover Innocenzo del Monte, who became Cardinal at the age of 17.

You will be able to see the paintings of St. Sebastian, a Roman soldier and Christian Saint, patron of homosexuality.

Also, one of the biggest love stories in Rome was the one that Hadrianus, a Roman Emperor, had with Antinous. They were together until Antinous died drowned on a trip up the Nile in 130. Here you will see their sculptures and hear the story.

One of the masterpieces that you will see is the Torso del Belvedere, that probably represent the body of a muscle bear guy. It constitutes a real praise of the male body, that mostly of all of the artists tented to represent in their artworks.

Lunch at “La Locanda di Piero”

An enlightening exploration of Emperor Hadrian’s beloved mausoleum, his lover Antinous and the important role this castle has played in ancient and modern Rome. The Castle provided shelter for many different popes during times of war. In the XII century an underground tunnel connected the Castle to the Vatican, so that the Pope and his soldiers could escape during attacks on the Vatican.

It was also one of the biggest prisons in Rome. The famous XVI Century Italian sculptor Benvenuto Cellini accused of robbery and jailed here. Benvenuto Cellini was also a homosexual artist, who loved to meet young men at his ‘bottega’ and was attracted by the perfection of the male body. Today Castel Sant’Angelo is a magnificent museum of Papal gems and art. It is also still the summer residence of the Pope. Visits are usually divided into six levels and include:

Return on your own to the Le Meridien Hotel for our Pre Cocktail party send off.