The obligatory stops in Vatican City: Travel to Vatican City
What to see in the Vatican?: The obligatory stops in Vatican City: Travel to Vatican City
Despite its small dimensions, the Vatican is home to a large number of works of art, some of which date back to the times of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans!
Whether you are a pilgrim, a practicing Christian, or a tourist who is fascinated by art and history, the sites and monuments of the Vatican are likely to capture everyone’s attention!
St. Peter’s Square and Basilica: This is where most tourists go first.
The most emblematic monuments of the Vatican are: The obligatory stops in Vatican City: Travel to Vatican City
St. Peter’s Square
St Peter’s basilica
The Sistine Chapel
The Vatican Museums
The Vatican Gardens
Designed in a Baroque style between 1658 and 1667 by Bernini, St. Peter’s Square was devised to accommodate a larger number of pilgrims during papal audiences and the Pope’s blessing.
Don’t forget to stop to contemplate the majestic dome, statues and ornaments under the signature of Michelangelo.
The obelisk that stands in the center of the square was transported by Emperor Caligula in AD 37, during the first hours of the Roman Empire: its construction date dates back to ancient Egypt, almost 4,000 years ago!
Built between 1506 and 1626 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the Christian world: it attracts up to 150,000 people every Sunday at the Pope’s Angelus.
In this place San Pedro and many other popes were buried.
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How to go to the Vatican without seeing the Sistine Chapel?
Built between 1477 and 1483, the Sistine Chapel is the place where the cardinals, gathered in a conclave, proceed to elect the new pope.
Famous worldwide for the vault decorated with frescoes painted by Michelangelo, it includes the fresco of the Last Judgment and many paintings by Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli and Pinturicchio.
Finally, we find the Vatican Museums: a vast complex of twelve museums in total, among which we find the Pinacoteca, the Gregorian museums (Egyptian, Etruscan, profane), the Pio Clementino museum or the Chiaramonti museum.
The museums are closed on Sundays, but from Monday to Saturday, they can be visited freely or with an audio guide.