The Vatican Museums unveiled on Tuesday a restoration of one of the crown jewels of their collection, a 2nd century marble sculpture of the Greek god Apollo that has inspired generations of artists and poets.

The Vatican Museums on Tuesday unveiled the restoration of the celebrated second-century "Apollo Belvedere" sculpture following five years of work.For the Vatican Museums' director Barbara Jatta, "the main challenge was to have the courage to close access to such an important icon for our museums".

ROME, OCT 15 - An icon of classical beauty, the Apollo Belvedere of the Vatican Museums, will once again be visible to the public after five-year-long restoration work. The statue portraying the god Apollo having just shot an arrow with his bow was restored to re-establish its solidity,