For a time the Popes
vied with each other in enlarging and embellishing the Vatican, which
covers an immense space, and is a collection of separate buildings; the
length is 1150 feet, and the breath 767 feet. The Vatican is said to
contain 20 courts, and 11,000 halls, chapels, salons, and private
apartments, most of which are occupied by collections and show-rooms,
while only a small part is set apart for the papal court.
The Harrises visited the most celebrated portions of the Vatican; the
Scala Regia, covered with frescoes of events in Papal history, the
Sistine Chapel, adorned with fine frescoes by Michael Angelo, including
the Last Judgment. Here the Cardinals meet to elect the Pope, and here
many of the most gorgeous ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church are
performed.
Equally enthusiastic were Leo and Lucille over Raphael's superb frescoes
in the Loggie, and in the chambers adjoining. The few pictures in the
gallery are scarcely surpassed. The museum contains some of the noblest
treasures of art, including the Laocoon, and Apollo Belvidere. The
library is very valuable. The superb palace of the Quirinal has beautiful
gardens.
Besides the several elegant public palaces in Rome, there are in and near
the city over sixty private palaces or villas; the finest of which is the
Barberini Palace.
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