After being closed for nine years, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City reopened this month with a restored ceiling revealing Michelangelo's brightly colored frescoes depicting the biblical story of man.
Since 1981 workers have been removing soot and layers of varnish, which darkened the ceiling's paintings. The restoration workers, financed by Japan, will begin cleaning the Last Judgment on the altar wall in 1992.Vatican City is visited by as many as 18,000 people a day. The Sistine Chapel, where cardinals meet to elect the pope, was built in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV. Side walls are covered with frescoes by Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio and illustrate the lives of Christ and Moses.
Elsewhere in Rome landmarks of another era lurk around corners - the Appian Way, ruins of the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, museums, catacombs.
What is unique is that civilizations from the time Rome was founded in 753 B.C. to the present can be seen in one area.
"The views cannot be separated easily," a guide said. "Middle Age houses are built on Roman ruins 2,000 years old. The remains of temple columns stand near 20th century buildings. In Rome you can see all the changes in time."
Near the center of town is the Colosseum, built in 80 A.D. by 20,000 slaves and prisoners. The stadium looks unreal from a distance - like a Hollywood set of papier mache. Marble and steel are gone and only stone cells and halls remain.
At the ruins of the Roman Forum, stone columns, arches and porticoes are fenced off from traffic that never ceases.
St. Peter's Square fronts its basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world. One can only wonder how Bernini arrived at the design for the curving colonnades, statues and pilasters in the 17th century.
Americans traveling to Rome can buy tour packages that include visits to Florence and Venice. From Rome to Venice is a five-hour train ride, ideally accomplished by stopping in Florence, about midway. First-class train fare from Rome to Venice is about $59.
Another art restoration will open June 1 in Florence's Santa Maria del Carmine Church, built in the 14th century. The church contains the Brancacci Chapel, with frescoes from 1425-28.
Painted by three artists, including Masaccio, the frescoes are considered the most important of the 15th century.
Masaccio was an innovative artist who revolutionized Florentine painting. Critics say his works exhibit strong realism with a profound penetration of characters.
On the Brancacci Chapel walls is his masterpiece, the Tribute Money, which shows much more coloring and illusion of depth since its restoration.
Elsewhere in Florence are art treasures amid a Renaissance setting. Tiny lanes (cars are banned from the historic center) wind around churches, squares, monuments and museums.
Dominating the skyline is the Duomo, officially named Santa Maria del Fiore, which can hold more than 20,000 people. Designed in 1296, it is the third largest cathedral in the world. On top is Brunelleschi's red brick cupola, admired for its structural engineering.
Next to the Duomo is Giotto's bell tower, 270 feet high with white marble from Carrara, green from Prato and pink from Siena.
Nearby is the 310-foot high Palazzo Vecchio, or Palazzo della Signoria. Built between 1298 and 1314, it is still the political center of the city.
To see all of Florence's art treasures would take weeks, although visitors on a brief stay head for the Uffizi Gallery, Italy's richest art museum.
Another attraction is Michelangelo's David, the 14-foot sculpture in the Gallery of the Academy. The masterpiece is so delicate that even the veins stand out in the oversized hands.
About two and a half hours by train from Florence is Venice, a city with no cars or roads but waterways and boats. Someone counted 450 bridges and 177 canals, ample area to hear the ripple of the Adriatic tide rolling into the lagoons.
At first glance the pattern of walkways and stone bridges criss-crossing the canals appears confusing. But it's not. Signs point the way to the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Square and Doges' Palace, home to most of the city's rulers for almost 10 centuries.
St. Mark's Square, lined with shops and cafes, is a gathering point for visitors. But the bands that once ringed the square and performed nightly are no longer there. One band does play on Saturday night, however.
Times change but Venice's landmarks don't. St. Mark's Square remains the same, with people still feeding the pigeons. Gondoliers still polish their boats each morning and two figures of Moors still bang the clock tower bell as they have for almost five centuries.