An awe-inspiring glimpse of Michelangelo’s depiction of The Creation is worth the queues and crowds that go hand-in-hand with a visit to the Vatican City. Michelangelo grudgingly accepted Julius II’s commission to paint frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel – built as a private chapel of the popes between 1475 and 1480. Work began in May 1508; the frescoes were unveiled in August 1511, and completed in October 1512. 21 years later, a reluctant Michelangelo painted the Last Judgement on the wall behind the altar, adding his own aged face below the figure of Christ. The Vatican Museums contain one of the world's greatest collections of art from the Renaissance period and could easily eat up a day or two of a trip to Rome. Highlights include the Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael’s Rooms), the Etruscan Museum, depicting Italy before the Romans, and the Pio-Clementino Museum, containing the world’s largest collection of Classical statues.

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