You are strongly advised to visit the Stanze and the Sistine
Chapel during the lunch hour. This is the only time when you
can avoid the crowds and appreciate them properly. Otherwise,
they can be hell.
The Stanze, a suite of rooms decorated by Raphael
for Popes Julius II and Leo X, show the young rival to Michelangelo
at the peak of his powers. He began work on the Stanza della
Segnatura in 1508 in his new, monumental style, the epitome
of the High Renaissance, and continued painting the rest of the
rooms over the following decade. If you have the chance, try
to see Nicholas V's chapel off the Sala del Constantino, which
was completely frescoed by Fra Angelico and his star pupil
Benozzo
Gozzoli in the mid 15th century.
