Sep 1

Sep 1 Vatican City: Smallest City State in the World

Lying within the borders of Rome, Vatican City has become easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I got the amazing opportunity to visit this gem on my most recent trip to Rome, which is about an hour from my current residence by train. Vatican City covers just over 100 acres making it the smallest city-state in the world!

Vatican Museums

There is so much to see within these beautiful walls. All the halls combined span nearly 7km long and with so much work in each exhibit its easy to understand why its impossible to see it all in one day! We saw so much incredible art and history and the tour guide made it all come to life with descriptions and back stories for many of the items, paintings, and buildings. There are headsets that use the number of the piece for a small explanation available for purchase.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Regarded as the largest Catholic church in the world, this building was nothing short of jaw dropping. The inside is amazingly designed with many materials including bronze and marble which were actually taken from the surrounding area from buildings such as the Colosseum. There are works of art even within the Basilica that can easily be located and viewed. There is also an entrance to a small set of catacombs near the center of the main area that is free of charge.

Once exiting the Basilica, there is an entrance to stairs that will take you to the top of the dome in around 550 steps for a small fee. It is about 200 steps to the top of the inside of the dome where you can view the main area from above. Another 300 steps will take you to the very top of the dome where you can view the entire surrounding area. (There is an elevator option for only the first 200 steps for an additional fee)

Sistine Chapel

With the outside being so plain and ordinary you wouldn’t expect the inside to be so spectacular. The main wall and ceiling were painted by Michelangelo and the other walls by renaissance artists throughout that time period. Each painting has its own story and hearing about Michelangelo’s feistiness -and dare I say pettiness- was amazing and hilarious.

My Final Thoughts

I would highly, highly recommend Vatican City for anyone going to Rome. If you do plan to go, buying a ticket in advance is a must. The line for the Vatican Museums alone was huge and would take most of the day to get through. There are different ticketing options you can get online but of course I always recommend getting a guided tour. Having a tour guide was a must for me because I love hearing about all the background and history while also getting to ask questions. My tour took us through all three of the aforementioned spots with full tour and history throughout for a surprisingly decent price. However you choose to plan your trip, you are in for an amazing treat of art and history.

Thanks for reading and happy traveling!

Date Visited: August 13, 2019

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