Raphael's fresco, "School of Athens"

I honestly cannot believe we were surrounded by Raphael's frescos. This one is called "School of Athens". It was started and completed between 1510-1511. It features philosophers and scholars gathered around Plato and Aristotle. The man on the steps is Diogenes and is believed to be a portrait of Michelangelo.....who was painting the Sistine Chapel at the same time Raphael was doing his frescos. Unfortunately they would not let us take any photos of the Sistine Chapel. But I actually would rather close my eyes and remember seeing it from an ant's eye view. It was truly amazing. I can't even use a roller paint brush to paint our ceiling one color without getting a headache. :)