Vatican
・Masterpiece “The Last Judgment”
・Over 20 museums
【City description】
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and is located within Rome. It is the headquarters of Catholicism and is famous for St. Peter’s Basilica and the square in front of it. Although it is called a country, only the clergy have Italian citizenship, and the staff live in Italy, specifically Rome. It has no military power, and security is provided by Swiss mercenaries, a permanently neutral country. Here we will introduce a route for sightseeing in Vatican City and the nearby Castel Sant’Angelo.
Please see here for tourist information on Rome.
【Overall rating】
★★★★★
【Time required】
7h30
【Budget】
50 euros
【Fatigue】
★★★★★
【Map and access in Italy】
①Milan: Duomo and the Last Supper
②Venice: City of water with canals
③Florence: Renaissance city
④Pisa: Leaning Tower and Miracle Square
⑤Rome: Capital of Italy
⑥Vatican: Smallest country in the world
Vatican can be reached by train in about 1.5 hours from Florence, or in about 30 minutes from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport.
Check out Italy’s tourist information here!
【Contents】
★=Must-see spots
◎=Recommended spots
Itinerary Map
Navigation
【Start】①Subway: Cipro Station
★Route time required：10 min
Once you reach ground level, turn right at the roundabout ⇒ continue straight for a while ⇒ go up the stairs and turn left at the end ⇒ you will see the museum entrance on your right
★Following the route, you will enter the chapel.
③Sistine Chapel★The route will take you to St. Peter’s Basilica, where you will then split off onto a path leading to the Basilica’s cupola (a dome-shaped ceiling).
④Saint Peter’s Basilica★Go outside the cathedral
⑤St. Peter’s Square
★Route time required：15 min
Leave the square and go straight ⇒ On the way, you will see a secret passage on your left that connects the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo ⇒ When you see the castle, turn right and go along the castle ⇒ Cross the bridge
★Route time required：5 min
Go around to the other side of the castle and you’ll see the entrance.
★Route time required：15 min
Leave the castle and go straight ⇒ After leaving the square, turn right at the second traffic light ⇒ You will arrive at the subway station.
⑧Subway: Lepanto Station
・If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information.
・You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).
【Start】
①Subway: Cipro Station
Cipro
★Route time required：10 min
Once you reach ground level, turn right at the roundabout ⇒ continue straight for a while ⇒ go up the stairs and turn left at the end ⇒ you will see the museum entrance on your right
②Vatican Museums★
Musei Vaticani
Time required: 4h
Admission fee: 20 euros
(comment ticket with ③)
Opening hour: 8 am – 8 pm
Closed: Sunday, national holidays
This is the world’s largest art museum adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica. It is actually made up of more than 20 art galleries and museums, both large and small, so it would take a considerable amount of time to explore them all. Its origins date back to the 16th century, when Pope Julius II decided to create a museum after discovering the sculpture “Laocoön” in a vineyard near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This “Laocoön” is one of the highlights of the Vatican Museums and is displayed in the Octagonal Courtyard.
Other works on display at the Pinacoteca include those by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. In the “Salon of Maps,” 16th-century maps of various parts of Italy are displayed on the walls of the corridor, and the ceiling is also lavishly decorated.
The Raphael Rooms are made up of four rooms, where you can see works painted directly on the walls and ceilings by Raphael and his students, as well as works that appear in history textbooks, such as “The School of Athens.”
It would take several hours to see all the exhibits at once, so we recommend picking out what you want to see in advance.
You can also purchase tickets on the following website to ensure smooth entry.
【Ticket purchase site】
https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home
★Following the route, you will enter the chapel.
③Sistine Chapel★
Cappella Sistina
Time required: 20 min
Admission fee: Included in the Vatican Museums
Opening hour: 8 am – 8 pm
Closed: Sunday, national holidays
This world-famous chapel was built in the 15th century. When the original chapel was rebuilt, Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli were in charge of painting the interior.
Particularly famous is Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment,” and you’ll be overwhelmed by the artworks that cover the ceiling and walls. Photography is prohibited inside, but there are places to sit, so it’s recommended to sit down and take another look after taking your time looking around.
★The route will take you to St. Peter’s Basilica, where you will then split off onto a path leading to the Basilica’s cupola (a dome-shaped ceiling).
④Saint Peter’s Basilica★
Basilica di San Pietro
Time required: 40 min
Admission fee: 0 euro
(The cupola is an additional charge, see below)
Opening hour: 7 am – 7 pm
This church is the headquarters of the Catholic Church and enshrines the Apostle Peter, making it one of the largest in the world. It was originally built in the 4th century by order of Emperor Constantine, but was rebuilt in its current form by Pope Julius II in the 16th century.
Inside there are 11 chapels and 45 altars, and as the headquarters, it is luxuriously decorated from floor to ceiling, making it a work of art wherever you look. Particularly famous is Michelangelo’s “Pieta” near the entrance.
If you pay an additional fee, you can go inside the cupola and onto the roof. Inside the cupola, you can get a closer look at the paintings on the ceiling, and you can see the inside of the cathedral from above. Also, if you put your cheek close to the wall and speak, your voice will be reflected and heard by the people on the other side. When you go outside, you can see the whole square, which is shaped like a key.
【Admission fee】
Stairs (551 steps): 8 euros
Elevator + stairs (320 steps): 10 euros
【Opening hour】
7h30 am – 6 pm
(until 5 pm from October to March)
★Go outside the cathedral
⑤St. Peter’s Square★
Piazza San Pietro
Time required: 20 min
Admission fee: 0 euro
This is a key-shaped square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. 372 columns are built in four rows surrounding the square, and 140 statues of saints stand on top of them.
There is an obelisk in the center, and fountains on either side. There are two round white panels called “Bernini Points” on the ground of the square, and if you stand on them you can see all four rows of columns overlapping each other. You can see uniformed Swiss mercenaries near the entrance to the cathedral.
★Route time required：15 min
Leave the square and go straight ⇒ On the way, you will see a secret passage on your left that connects the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo ⇒ When you see the castle, turn right and go along the castle ⇒ Cross the bridge
⑥St. Angelo Bridge◎
Ponte Sant’Angelo
Time required: 5 min
Admission fee: 0 euro
Built in 134, this bridge has a total of 10 sculptures on both ends. The view of Castel Sant’Angelo from here is very beautiful.
★Route time required：5 min
Go around to the other side of the castle and you’ll see the entrance.
⑦Castel Sant’Angelo◎
Castel Sant’Angelo
Time required: 60 min
Admission fee: 20 euros
Opening hour: 7 am – 7h30 pm
Closed: Monday, 12/25
This castle has a bronze statue of Archangel Michael on top, which means “castle of the holy angel.” It was originally built by Emperor Hadrian as his own tomb, and was later used as a fortress, prison, and refuge. Therefore, although it is called a castle, it has a sturdy exterior and the interior is not luxurious or extravagant.
There are exhibits as a museum, but the main attraction is the view of the city from the castle, especially St. Peter’s Basilica. The secret passage mentioned earlier leads to this castle.
★Route time required：15 min
Leave the castle and go straight ⇒ After leaving the square, turn right at the second traffic light ⇒ You will arrive at the subway station.
【Goal】
⑧Subway: Lepanto Station
Lepanto
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