Everyone’s heard of the Vatican, that’s for sure! Through films, books, reports… but how much do you really know about this little state located in the heart of Rome? Yes, it’s a country of just 44 hectares.
The Vatican is a state, known in Italian as the Vatican City State (Stato della Città del Vaticano). It is the seat of the Catholic Church (of the Pope), located in the center of Rome.
It’s one of Italy’s favorite tourist destinations, with 5 million visitors a year. That’s no mean feat! It’s best to plan your visit carefully and methodically, to get the most out of your visit and avoid the long queues. It’s also a destination brimming with monuments and museums, each more incredible than the last. See the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica below.
The Vatican is a must for your trip to Rome. Everything about it is impressive!
This article is written following our family trip: 2 adults + 2 children (5 and 9 years old). We stayed during the first week of September. Rome is very popular with travelers between March and September. So a word of advice: plan your trip in advance.
To put you in the mood, this monumental square gives you a glimpse of the Vatican’s grandeur. It’s here that pontifical masses are held for up to 300,000 people. It’s also here that you can witness the ceaseless ballet of visitors from all over the world. It’s truly impressive to see all nationalities and faiths concentrated in one place.
The most striking feature is the columns that line the square. In all, 140 statues sit proudly above the colonnades. Several sculptors were involved in creating the statues, including Lazzaro Morelli, Giacomo Antonio Fancelli, Pierre-Étienne Monnot, Jean-Baptiste Théodon, Giovanni Maria Baratta and Bartolommeo Cennini.
Visit free of charge.
Security checkpoint at the Rome/Vatican border.
Bring comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing.
There are treasures to be found all over the world, and one thing is certain: St. Peter’s Basilica is one of them. St. Peter’s Basilica is one of them. You’ve certainly visited many churches in your life, but what happens when you cross the threshold of this Basilica is unique. I don’t know what it is. Its size, the wealth of ornaments and statues inside.
St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican owes its name to the tradition that the tomb of theapostle Peter is located here.
Already during Peter’s lifetime, after Christ’s crucifixion, the Acts of the Apostles recount the fact that he held an important place in the nascent Christian Church. Christ had said to him: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
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Admission to the Basilica is free, but if you want to avoid the queue, you can book your ticket here.
The Sistine Chapel is one of the must-see attractions of your stay in Rome. You can get there by visiting the Vatican Museums.
It takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who was responsible for the restoration of the Cappella Magna between 1477 and 1480.
What makes the Sistine Chapel exceptional are the frescoes on its walls and ceilings. Most notable and famous of all is Michelangelo’s fresco “Last Judgment”. It testifies to Michelangelo’s genius as a painter and his evolution as an artist.
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was best known for his sculptural talents.
Known throughout the world as Michelangelo, the Florentine was just 24 years old when he sculpted his famous “Pietà” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, a tender depiction of the Virgin Mary resting the lifeless body of her son.
He is also known for his imposing statue of David, which revealed his mastery of sculpting the human body. You can admire this work at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.
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The crowds to get into the Sistine Chapel. Fortunately, we had booked tickets in advance. This saved us a long wait at the entrance.
The Vatican Museums form a museum complex located in the Vatican. In all, there are 12 museums, 5 galleries and 1,400 rooms dedicated to art and history. You can admire one of the world’s largest art collections.
Impressive exhibitions, the result of the assembly work of all the Popes who have succeeded one another over the centuries.
Works by Dali, Henri Matisse, Chagall, Van Gogh….
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The Vatican necropolis, or Scavi, is a curiosity located beneath Vatican City. Admittedly, it is less well known than St Peter’s Basilica or the Vatican Museums. It’s also hard to imagine that the Vatican was once an enormous open-air cemetery.
It was only uncovered in the mid-twentieth century, at the end of the 1990s.
The Vatican necropolis lies between 5 and 10 metres beneath the Vatican. Archaeologists are digging to uncover elements that will bring 2000 years of history to light.
This very fragile sanctuary was abandoned and completely covered over before being preserved. which explains the limited number of visits.
The Vatican Gardens date back to the 13th century, and are among the oldest in Europe.
It was Pope Nicholas III Orsini (1277-1280) who began construction of the first papal residence on the hill to the north of the Basilica, then known as ” Mons Saccorum “.
Initially, these were not gardens per se, but rather vineyards, vegetable gardens and alfalfa fields, in keeping with the medieval idea of gardens for the needs of popes and their retinue. These plantations were essentially utilitarian in nature. Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) added a botanical garden.
Today, the Vatican Gardens form a group of urban gardens covering more than half of the Vatican’ s surface area, i.e. around 23 hectares.
During your visit, you can explore the botanical gardens, fountains, sculptures and parks.
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Castel San Angelo is a monumental Roman edifice that has accompanied the growth of Rome for 2,000 years. Strictly speaking, it’s not in the Vatican, but on the right bank of the Tiber. To reach it, simply cross the bridge opposite St. Peter’s Square.
From the outside, the castle’s circular architecture is surprising. Castel Sant’Angelo has undergone numerous transformations.
Emperor Hadrian was responsible for its construction between 135 and 139. Originally intended as his mausoleum, the monument became the counterpart to the tomb of Augustus, located north of the Field of Mars on the left bank of the Tiber.
In 1906, Castel Sant’Angelo became a prison and a museum. Allowing visitors to discover an important part of the history of Rome and the Vatican.