“I could kick myself for not jotting down where I read that Michelangelo and Da Vinci were most likely disciples of the old wisdom, the Mother Goddess,” I said to my husband. Travel tip: Rome is packed between Christmas and Epiphany on January 5, mostly with Romans themselves who are on holiday. If you’re crowd-averse, find another time to visit. We were touring the Vatican Museums, and after a labyrinthine march vaguely reminiscent of Ikea maze walking, we — along with multitudes of others — finally got to the main event: the Sistine Chapel.
Barbra Andreoli, our museum guide, was not only a font of knowledge but also had a little mischief in her eyes. Pointing to the central “Creation of Adam” fresco, she said, “Look at Adam: what’s there that shouldn’t be if God is creating him from nothing?” She waited as we stared at the obviously not-so-obvious. “Adam has a navel!”
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