Vatican Travel

The only entrance to the Vatican City for the casual visitors is through the Bernini's St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro). In the center of the square there is an Egyptian obelisk with two 17th-century fountains. The square is surrounded by columns and has the access to the Saint Peter’s Basilica. The statues of Sts. Peter and Paul stand in front of the Basilica, with Peter carrying the keys to the kingdom. Do not miss the dark-brown buildings of the papal apartments. If you are lucky to visit the city on Wednesday you will see the Pope gives a public audience in the Paul VI Hall of Audiences, sometimes St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square are used to accommodate a large attendance. Take into account that a free ticket from the office of the Prefecture of the Papal Household is required.

No trip to the city-state is complete without the visit to the Vatican Museums, which boast one of the world's greatest art collections. They occupy a part of the papal palaces with a labyrinthine of lavishly adorned palaces, apartments, and galleries leading the tourists to the real gem of the country: the Sistine Chapel, at the construction of which Michelangelo labored for 4 years. The Sistine Chapel is particularly famous of it Last Judgment frescoes. Various museums are at your disposal in the Vatican City: Chiaramonti Museum, Egyptian Gregorian Museum, Etruscan Gregorian Museum, Ethnological Museum, Historical Museum, Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery), Raphael Rooms and others. Finish your trip around the Vatican City with a stop at beautiful gardens, separating the Vatican from the secular world on the north and west.