Manufacturer:  Trefl

Name:  St. Peter’s Basilica – Vatican City, Italy

Series:  None

Artist / Photographer:  Unknown

Piece Count:  1000

Piece Quality:  Excellent

New / Used: New

Fit:  Great; very snug

Assembly: I was pleasantly shocked when I received this beautiful puzzle from my husband for Christmas a couple of years ago.  He NEVER buys me puzzles!  Mostly because he would have no idea what I have and don’t have, but I’m sure it’s also because he knows I have way more than I can possibly finish already. ? 

This one was a bit challenging.  The sky was gorgeous, but not as bad as I expected due to the varying shades of deep red and purple.  The most difficult part was the main church building itself.  It looks a lot alike, and trying to decipher various windows was not easy at times.  This one too, unfortunately, ended up with a missing piece.  I never found it, but have since moved from that house so it is unlikely I ever will.  I ended up giving it away to a good friend whose elderly mother likes to do puzzles when she visits from Puerto Rico.  Of course, I forewarned her it was missing a piece, but she didn’t care.  She and her mom had a lot of fun assembling it anyway.

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I think one of the main reasons my husband chose this one for me (and I love him for it) is because we spent our honeymoon in Italy. On our first day of the trip, we did a tour of the Vatican and surrounding area while in Rome.  Neither one of us is very religious, but the architecture, the history, and the art housed here are jaw dropping, and literally breathtaking.  I could have spent an entire day just walking around Vatican City.  There is so much to see and experience.  It is absolutely stunning – I don’t have better words to describe it in my vocabulary, but I know this doesn’t even come close to doing it justice.

The fit on this puzzle was pretty tight, and if I remember correctly, I was able to pick it up fully assembled without glue or anything else being added.  That, to me, is always a good sign of great puzzle quality.  The finish on the pieces was a non-glare and had a similar feel to Ravensburger and Clementoni.  I definitely want to do more Trefl’s in the future.  The image reproduction was top notch and made for a great assembling experience overall.

It also made me want to go back to Italy again – maybe someday I will get the chance, but for now – Arrivederchi Italia!  😀

Overall Rating:  A+