The focal point of the Sistine chapel tour, of course, is the famous ceiling painting by Michaelangelo, but it would be a mistake to ignore all the treasures on the way.

The ceiling at left, for example, was gilded and covered with artwork so beautiful any museum would be thrilled to own a single piece of it. The walls in this section are covered with ancient illustrated maps.

Other sections of the building had larger paintings with historical and allegorical themes. Some areas got a bit claustrophobic -- there were a lot of people and all you could do was go with the flow of the crowd through the passages. Our visit was in early March. It made us wonder what the place was like in July.