[SuperGent]

I went to the Louvre in April and I came away with the impression that the Mona Lisa was the only painting that is better in photographs then in real life. The hall was packed with people, most of whom had literally walked past 2 other Di-Vinci masterpieces hanging nearby. I can see why the Mona Lisa was voted the most disappointing attraction in the world! The other piece in the museum that is famous for being famous, the Venus de Milo , was similarly surrounded by artwork of a similar level (at least to my untrained eye), also being mostly ignored by the crowds. The Louvre, however, is an excellent place to visit if you avoid the crowds.

[buboard]

I think Capella Sistina has the same problem

[jdeisenberg]

Emphatic yes. I visited there back in the 1980s, and the crowds were overwhelming. It was such a noisy, claustrophobic experience that I had to get out of there. I pretty much fled through the rest of the Vatican museum without really seeing a thing. Can't begin to imagine what it is like now.