More than 70.000 artworks displayed in 7 km of rooms and galleries, closed inside the smallest State in the world: we are in the Vatican Museums.
Through this tour we will discover the masterpieces that the Popes have collected inside their residence for centuries, starting from where it all began: the Octagonal Court of the Pio Clementino Museum, where at the beginning of the 16th century Giulio II moved his fantastic private collection of classic sculptures.
Those were the years when the most brilliant minds of the time happened to work in those buildings, side by side: Donato Bramante, Raffaello Sanzio and Michelangelo Buonarroti are just some of the artists who contributed to transforming the residency of the Pope King into a real artwork, collecting priceless treasures.
After admiring the Sistine Chapel, the tour will end inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which holds masterpieces from Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A marvelous piece of world architecture which rests on one of the most sacred places: the tomb of the apostle Peter.
If you wish to see the Museums while avoiding the largest crowds, especially during high season, you can opt for an evening viewing or book an “early morning” visit which allows you to enter before the Museum’s usual opening time to the public. These two special types of entrance are provided for only a few days a week and are subject to availability. Feel free to contact me for further information!
The itinerary could be affected by variations due to force majeure, for example due to closure of some sections of the Museum or Basilica, the overcrowding of rooms, and certain celebrations. When this happens, the itinerary will be varied to visit other sections of the Museum, while maintaining the same overall duration of the tour.
The Vatican Museum could be very crowded, especially during the tourist high season (April-September). Above all in the summer it could be very hot even indoors due to the lack of air conditioning in the majority of rooms. It is therefore recommended to wear light clothes and carry drinking water. We will visit places of worship like the Sistine Chapel and the St. Peter’s basilica, therefore you will be asked to wear clothes which cover shoulders and knees in respect for the sacredness of these spaces.
