Wednesday began early, with the group heading from Spagna toward the Vatican and Richard catching up after nearly being left behind. The papal audience was better than expected: surprisingly good seats, the Pope passing in the Popemobile, and the unmistakable sense of being inside a global ritual.

The rest of the day was harder. The heat was punishing, lunch was forgettable, the guide’s English was difficult, and the headsets were bad. As a tour, it struggled. As a place, the Vatican still overwhelmed.

The museums brought ancient Roman pieces, bath mosaics, enormous basins, costly blues, and rooms that felt almost too dense to absorb. The Sistine Chapel still landed. St. Peter’s was almost beyond scale, with Bernini’s bronze baldacchino anchoring the impossible space and Michelangelo’s Pietà reminding everyone that some works are famous for a reason. The day ended with a failed rooftop idea, a strong dinner at Mimì E Cocò, and the usual gelato-and-pastry drift back through Rome.