Friday 25th July 2014, 1.10pm (day 1,065)
I said a few days ago that this blog would soon feature its 20th country, so here you go — the world’s smallest independent state, the Vatican City. Also the state with, almost certainly, the highest proportion of tourists to residents. And probably the world’s largest art gallery. This is one of the ‘Raphael rooms’, decorated by said artist in the 16th century, slightly before Michelangelo painted the more famous (and even more crowded) Sistine Chapel.
And is the Vatican worth a visit? Well, it’s certainly the most sumptuous interior decoration in the world. But it does depend how much you like looking at a) excessive displays of wealth and status and b) other people.
Being 42 