Vatican Museums Launch Major Restoration of Raphael’s Famous Frescoes

Raphael’s epic fresco cycle, the Loggias, is getting a makeover. The Vatican Museums launched a restoration of the Renaissance masterpiece this week, unprecedented in scale: more than 20 experts are set to clean the artwork spanning 65 meters (nearly 215 feet) in the Apostolic Palace, also known as the Pope’s residence. The project will last five years, addressing a slew of restoration concerns accrued over the centuries, the weather being chief among them. According to Italian