When you first came to Vatican you may be overwhelmed with the quantity and importance of art gathered at the very limited surface of this smallest country in the world.
St Peter’s Basilica, Papal residence, Vatican Museums the endless lines of visitors seem to queue to every visible door.
And there is Raphael to see, Michelangelo’s frescoes, maybe the glimpse of the Pope, Greek sculptures, paintings, Roman sculptures, more paintings, more sculptures, Etruscan sarcophaguses,
the first Christians, more sculptures…
It is better to plan in advance your steps in the Holy See, book the tickets in advance, and consider joining the tour, especially, when your time is limited.
The guided tour gives you two main advantages. you skip the queuing line, saving more time for experiencing the masterpieces and a professional guide may help you with selecting ‘must see’ masterpieces.
When the Pope is resident in Rome, on Wednesdays you may book the Papal audience, or try to listen to his homily on St.Peter’s Square.
On Wednesdays and on some special ocassions, like church feasts the entry to St.Peter’s Basilica may be not possible, if you want to see it from inside choose another day of a week.
The Basilica, built over the symbolic grave of the saint features great masterpieces, including famous Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Vatican Museums are divided into several sections, Egyptian, Etruscan art, Chiaramonti, or Pio-Clementino which hosts Laocoon Group from Rhodes.
The European paintings one can see in Pinacoteca, but all the visitors first want to experience the meeting with iconic frescoes on the ceiling of Sistine chapel, and those covering the walls of so called Raphael’s Rooms.
More details of Vatican City and Rome you will find on website Italy Travel.
photo,courtesy of Janus,flickr
