Crowds are a serious problem. They need to limit the number of people allowed in at one time. Its shoulder to shoulder the whole way through.

I guess you could say that's a 'good' problem to have ... eh??

Not really. As the population grows and standard of living increases, more and more people make the pilgrimage. Its unsubstantial. How can you pack more people in then what I saw? Basically everyone was doing the shuffle. As soon as you had enough room ahead of you, you could move your foot forward. Might as well been a Who concert. Thank goodness they had security screening.

The Vatican could easily sell off some of the treasure for renovations, move some items to an annex museum and/or have different entrances for the Sistine Chapel. Some of the tourist just want to see certain things. Rather than have everyone go through like cattle they could create shortcuts for the people just wanting to see the highlights.

There was a section of more modern work by people like Salvador Dali and Chagall that no one even looked at because they didn't want to lose their place in the crowd or were so dead tired by that time in the tour.

This stuff could be moved to a separate museum so it could be appreciated.

I don't see it as a "good" problem Frank. I was there 2 years ago to see the art. They pack you in the Sistine Chapel, literally, like cattle; herd you through the door and wont let you stop till they get the room full.
I really wanted to see the Last Judgement because when I was there in the early 90s it was behind scaffolding. I was stuck on the other side of the room with no chance to see it closer. The crowds were so thick it was miserable and I couldnt wait to get out.

Oh! And lets not forget that these millions of people aren't getting in free. I don't understand this crowd funding, it's pure greed on the part of the Vatican.

Other museums in Italy - Academia, Uffizi, Borghezi all control the number of people via scheduling. It's obvious the goal is crowds and their Euros, not ensuring visitors enjoy the art, in the Vatican.

I'll never go there again, and I won't support a crowd fund by a rich cash cow.

Once in a lifetime is enough right? Its a shame. I've come to the conclusion there is no downtime at these popular tourists spots. The world's population and the ease of travel (plus the turmoil in other parts of the world which limits where you might want to travel) creates overwhelming crowds.

One of the best museums on my trip to Rome was the Borghese gallery - you had to make a reservation in advance and they didn't take bus tours. Plus you had a time limit.

Fun Fact: Why no photos in the Sistine Chapel? The Vatican sold the copyright.

"When Vatican officials decided to undertake a comprehensive restoration of Michelangelo's art in the chapel, the price tag for such an endeavor prompted them to seek outside assistance to fund the project. In the end, the highest bidder was Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan, whose $3 million offering (which eventually ballooned to $4.2 million) was unmatched by any entity in Italy or the U.S.

In return for funding the renovation, Nippon TV received the exclusive rights to photography and video of the restored art, as well as photos and recordings of the restoration process by photographer Takashi Okamura, who was commissioned by Nippon TV. "

Borghese was amazing! Imsigned up for an Ancient Rome tour, and ended up with a private tour (nobody else signed up!). My tour guide was an archeologist who did his residency work in the Forum. It was amazing! We got to see the "basement" of the coliseum that many don't get to see.

Rome was a side trip from 10 days in Florence. I'd love to go back and spend more time in Florence! I just didn't have time to see everything I wanted to see. Compared to Florence, Rome was too crowded and chaotic. I have absolutely no desire to ever go there again. I didn't know they sold the copyright. Looks like the Vatican is still for sale,just like it was back when Michelangelo painted the ceiling.

I would have liked the "basement" tour.

We ended up doing the Vatican and the Colosseum and Forum in the same day (during a heat wave) because the next day was free museum day and everything would have been even crazier.

We did the Rick Steve's Heart of Italy tour. I thought it was a great combination of free time, small group, great locations and guide tours. I could have spent a month in Cinque Terra after the hot cities.

Rome is brutal but there is a lot to see. All in all an amazing educational tour of Western Civilization.

Reading Dan Brown's Inferno on the way home made me want to go back to Florence and see more.

Before the trip I was watching The Borgias mini series which turned out to be a great idea. I kept seeing all of the things reference in the show.

Edward, I have daily blogs posted here from my trip. You might enjoy reading them. I don't think anyone ever looks at them :-(

I have been to Venice, Florence, Rome, Assisi, Pisa, Naples and Pompeii and I have to say that my very favorite was Venice with Rome second, Florence third, and Pompeii fourth, Naples I didn't see much so don't really know much about it
I loved Rome and the Vatican - we went in June and the crowds were not too bad at all but I figured it didn't really matter because I could make my way to where I wanted to be or what I wanted to see because it was friggin awesome and worth the wait to get where I wanted to go and I would definitely go again!