Reuters

Whenever Alessandra Zarelli, a restorer at the Vatican Museums, works on a masterpiece by an artist such as Michelangelo, she steadies her heart so her mind can concentrate on the task at hand.

The standing order for Zarelli and her colleagues is to work with just chemistry, physics and history and leave any excitement and awe at the door.

"The emotion of working on something like a Michelangelo is truly indescribable," said Zarelli, 56, who helped restore a fresco by the Renaissance master in the Pauline Chapel.

"But I try to remain detached while I am working. I have to concentrate on the material and the work that I have to do, otherwise the emotion would paralyse me," she said while working on a painting from 1550 called Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints by Italian artist Moretto da Brescia.

"At the end of the day I keep some moments for myself to contemplate and enjoy the emotion of being so close to marvellous masterpieces," she said.

She is one of about 36 members of an elite team at the Vatican Museums` restoration lab for paintings and wood.

The team is responsible for looking after thousands of square meters of wall paintings, including the Sistine Chapel frescoes, as well as some 5,300 framed oil paintings and dozens of wooden statues.