The only way to approach something as vast as the Vatican Museums is to go in with a plan and, as far as humanly possible, to stick by it. My plan began back in Sydney when I booked my entry ticket via the Internet. This let me avoid the queue that stretched down the hill about 200 metres by the time I arrived at about 8:30, an hour before the doors open. AT most times of the year pre-booking for museums is very important.

The next step in my cunning plan is to decide what I want to see and then use the Internet to find out where they are in the many halls and galleries of the museum. I had intended to see the Caravaggio paintings that are available here as well as a da Vinci and a couple of glorious sculptures from early Rome. This part of the plan had a bit of a stumble when I found out that the map in the free guide pamphlet has one agenda while the guide book that I paid for has another. Both are determined to lead me away from my goal.

I used up an hour of the morning strolling past long rows of ancient Roman busts and bits and then into a gallery that had full body sculptures but not the ones that I had on my list. I began to wonder what these ancient Romans would think about present day visitors putting so much energy and interest in what was probably their garden gnomes and grave decorations. They would probably laugh!

By this time I realised that I should get myself back on track and head for the gallery where the majority of the paintings are on display. This Gallery is called the Pinacoteca and it holds some wonderful paintings by artists such as Raphael, Leonardo, Bernini and, of course, Caravaggio. Visitors are guided through the exhibit by the arrangement of the rooms which open one into the next in a U-shaped arrangement. The first room holds the earliest works from the 12th to the 15th centuries, the next from the 13th to the 15 centuries and so on, grouped in roughly chronological order and by periods and styles. To find my Caravaggios, I needed to go all the way to Room XII so that on the way I could be distracted by Raphael, Giotto, Leonardo and many others. It was a gluttonous feast for the art lover.

Caravaggio's Disposition from the Cross is displayed together with Domenichino's Communion of St Jerome, three Guido Reni paintings and a Poussin among others. I appreciate the opportunity to get up quite close to the canvas and to be able to see the very brush strokes that were laid down by the artist just on four hundred years ago. Being in the hands of such a gallery, the paintings are maintained in the highest order and with the greatest care and love. They are as fresh as the day that the last bit of paint was added to the image. Despite the crowds outside there is the space and time to just sit and gaze in admiration at the beautiful images. I enjoy getting up close to see the precision that the elements of the image have. I wish that I could depict hands and feet so well.

Not far from the Pinacoteca, is the Pio-Clementino Gallery which holds Renaissance and antique Greek works. Part of this gallery is the Belvedere Garden where the extraordinary, sinuous Laocoon and his Son sculpture is to be found. Missing part of the arms of each of the threes figures, this sculpture has been variously restored since it's discovery, however it is now displayed in the condition in which it was found. The twisting figures of Laoccon and his two sons entwined in the coils of a huge serpent is amazing when the viewer stops for a moment to consider that it was once a block of white marble.

From here my plan took me into the hall where the Belvedere Torso is displayed. It is a fragment of a nude male statue which has been documented in Rome since the 1400s. It is now situated in the centre of a rotunda so it is possible to see it from all angles and to admire the skill that produced the twisted form. These classical Greek and Rome statues were inspiration to the artists of the Renaissance and are still providing inspiration to wanna-bes form Australia.

After some time spent being funneled up and down various hallways and into and out of rooms, I final found myself descending the rather grimy and inauspicious stairway that leads to the Sistine Chapel. I did this together with hundreds of other visitors since this is the last port of call for everyone whether they are part of an organised tour or a wanderer like me. The chapel was shoulder to shoulder with people gazing at the frescoes that make it so famous. I am very pleased that I had been here before because it was very hard to get a good look at what it has to offer. Since you are not able to take photographs here all of the visitors seemed to be trying to imprint the look of the space into their brains to bring it to mind

This has been a very full day both in terms of the experiences and the effort required to have them. I left home at about 8:30 this morning and did not get back until nearly 5:00. In that time I took a break at lunch, had one coffee break and a sit down in the garden to catch my breath. Otherwise I walked ... and walked ... and walked. If I haven't lost a little weight this week then it is certainly not for lack of effort.