Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, formed in 1929. Vatican is located in the center of Rome and is the seat of supreme spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. The main sources of income of Vatican are donations, tourism, and sale of coins and stamps. Micro states like San Marino or Vatican are selling small souvenirs for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Most tourists visit St. Peter's Basilica and the square in front of it. However, the main treasure of Vatican are its museums with the world's largest collection of works of art. It includes a complex of unique buildings and priceless collection of antiquities. There's a lot of famous museums in Italy and before the trip we selected the two of them. The Vatican Museum is a must-see place. It's not possible to see everything at once, you'll understand that after a few rooms (1,400 in total). We walked for about three hours and got tired :)
Better buy the tickets to the museum in advance by following this link. By purchasing the tickets online you get two major benefits: skipping the huge queue and entering the museums before the crowds of tourists. The doors open at 9 am, and at 11 am the number of visitors becomes just abnormal.
Decide in advance what kind of tickets you need. The main types of tours are: - The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel alone - The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with a tour - Vatican Gardens with a tour
You can take a camera to the museums, but you should leave your backpacks and bags at the entrance. Exit from the museums is in a different place (through the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica), consider this fact. We had to go back through the museum, pick up our stuff, and then pass along the street to the St. Peter's Square. However, before that, we went up to the dome of the cathedral. In order not to lose time, try to stand at the end of the queue after the Sistine Chapel. To let out the tourists that come out of the Sistine Chapel, the guards break a queue for a moment. At that time be smart and look for the part near the cash desk :)
The last point of the tour to the museums is the greatest work of Michelangelo and Botticelli - the Sistine Chapel. It's widely known by the book and movie "Angels and Demons". However, the crew was not allowed to shot this movie in Vatican, so everything was done with a computer. Another book that we recommend is "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone - biographical novel of Michelangelo Buonarroti.
You cannot take pictures and make noise inside the chapel. The entrance to the museums can be found on the next picture.
The rise to the dome is not easy - half way in a lift, and another half by spiral stairs in very narrow passages. It's interesting to watch the faces of the people that enter the observation deck after those "amazing" stairs :)
Angels & Demons (2009) - the most famous film about the Vatican. However, the crew was not allowed to shot in Vatican, so interiors were done with a computer.
Eurotrip (2004) - the famous comedy about teenagers traveling in Europe (video).
The Godfather 3 (1990) - events in the film associated with the Vatican.
Getting to Vatican: Go to the Ottaviano-S.Pietro or Cipro-Musei Vaticani subway stations, then walk about 10 minutes (see the map above). The following buses go to Vatican: ##64 and 40 - through the central train station, Piazza Venezia, and Piazza Argentina; #60 - through Piazza Republica, Spanish Steps, Piazza Venezia, and Piazza Argentina.
Comments (Total: 2)
2016-01-13 16:46
# 1 отвечает Инна Друзь
нельзя же фотографировать в Секстинской капелле?! Откуда фото?
2016-01-14 01:02
# 2 Юрий Буряк
2 Инна Друзь
Тут нет фотографий Сикстинской капеллы
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