- Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiammighi
- FAQ Vatican City
- Fountain of the Pinecone
- Fountains in Saint Peter's Square
- Friday Night Openings Vatican Museums
- John Paul II's beatification in Rome: What to watch out for.
- Michelangelo's Pietà
- Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide
- Papal Audience
- Saint Peter's Basilica - Bernini's Baldachin
- Saint Peter's Basilica - Columns
- Saint Peter's Basilica - Portal
- Saint Peter's Basilica
- Saint Peter's Crypt
- Saint Peter's Dome
- Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro)
- Saint Peter's Square - Obelisk
- Saint Peter's Tomb
- Sistine Chapel
- The Pope
- Vatican Historical Museum
- Vatican Museums
- Vatican Museums - Opening hours, tickets etc.
- Via della Conciliazione
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Vatican City
Other countries have capitals, some countries are situated within the borders of other countries, but the Vatican is the only country that is situated within a capital.
Vatican City, or Città del Vaticano in Italian, is the smallest independent state in the world, with less than one thousand inhabitants in a space of 0,44 square km.
Vatican City as an independent state came into existence in 1929 when Pope Pius XI and the former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty. The Vatican is represented by the Holy See and its head is the Pope, who lives in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City itself.
The currency in the Vatican is the Euro. The Swiss Guard is its own police force. The Vatican City also has its own passport, which can only be obtained by naturalization, not by birth.
The entire Vatican City is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
There is probably no place in the world with so many art treasures concentrated in such a small space.
The main tourist attractions of the Vatican City are:
- Saint Peter’s Basilica
- Saint Peter’s Square
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- Saint Peter’s Dome
- Vatican Gardens
- Crypt
- Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiammighi
A word of warning: Saint Peter’s is a church, so make sure that your knees and shoulders are covered when visiting.
Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiammighi
Within the walls of the Vatican City there is a relatively unknown, but for Germans, Dutchmen and (Flemish) Belgians interesting burial ground. It is called the Campo Santo dei Teutonici e dei Fiamminghi or the Holy Field of the Teutonic … Continue reading
Vatican Museums
It was Pope Julius who, unwittingly, started the Vatican Museums in the beginning of the 16th century by placing a group of sculptures in what is now the Octagonal Courtyard of the museum complex. The first Popes who systematically started … Continue reading
Saint Peter’s Tomb
Directly underneath the nave of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome there is an old dirt road that leads, through a Roman necropolis, to the tomb of Saint Peter himself. The tomb was found underneath the High Altar during … Continue reading
Fountain of the Pinecone
The Fontanella della Pigna (Fountain of the Pine Cone) can be found inside the Vatican City, in the Cortile della Pigna (Courtyard of the Pinecone) in Rome. It is almost 4m tall and originally stood near the Pantheon, but in … Continue reading
Sistine Chapel
Together with the Colosseum the Sistine Chapel is probably the most famous tourist attraction in Rome. It is located in the Pope’s Residence in the Eternal City, the Apostolic Palace, but tourists can only view it by buying a ticket … Continue reading
Michelangelo’s Pietà
The Pietà, one of Michelangelo‘s many masterpieces can be seen in the first chapel on the right in Saint Peter’s Basilica, between the Holy Door and the Altar of Saint Sebastian. Michelangelo sculpted his Pietà at a very early age, … Continue reading
Friday Night Openings Vatican Museums
After a brief break during the months of August, from September 2 onwards the Vatican Museums will open their doors again every friday evening from 7 until 11 PM. The initiative will last until October 28 and, although normal tourists … Continue reading
Fountains in Saint Peter’s Square
The first fountain in Saint Peter’s Square already existed in 1490, although it stood in a different, less symetrically placed, location from both present fountains. This fountain, which was restored in 1501, got its water through pipes that were at … Continue reading
John Paul II’s beatification in Rome: What to watch out for.
The beatification ceremony of Pope John Paul II will take place on May 1 2011 and already the tricksters and fraudsters are trying to benefit. It is expected that more than 1 million faithful Catholics will attend the event. Apart … Continue reading
Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide
The Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, a 17th century Baroque architectural masterpiece designed by Bernini (Gianlorenzo) and Francesco Borromini, has opened its doors to the public in the form of a museum, called the Museo Missionario di Propaganda Fide. The museum … Continue reading
Via della Conciliazione
The Via della Conciliazione (rione: Borgo) is not a very long street (about 500m), but it is very important, since it connects the Castel Sant’Angelo to Saint Peter’s Square and the Vatican City. It is a fairly new street, built … Continue reading
Vatican Historical Museum
The Vatican Historical Museum was founded in 1973. In 1987 it was transferred to the Papal Apartment in the Lateran Palace. Its collection consists of a series of papal portraits together with objects of the past Pontifical Military Corps and … Continue reading
Papal Audience
Every Wednesday, on the condition that this Wednesday is not also a religious holiday, the Papal Audience takes place. Reservationa are mandatory and the easiest way to do this is through the Church of Santa Susanna in Rome. There are … Continue reading
The Pope
The present Pope is called Benedictus XIV and, not being as ardent a traveler as his predecessor, he is more often present in Rome than John Paul II used to be. Every Sunday at noon, when he is in Rome, … Continue reading
Saint Peter’s Dome
Saint Peter’s cupola was designed by Michelangelo, but it was Giacomo della Porta who finished its construction in 1593, after Michelangelo’s death. Michelangelo started the work in 1546 during the papacy of Paolo III Farnese. When Michelangelo died (1564), work … Continue reading
Saint Peter’s Crypt
The crypt underneath the central nave of Saint Peter’s Basilica contains the graves of 148 dead Popes. A number of these were created by famous artists like Bernini and Canova. The tomb containing Saint Peter’s relics is right below the … Continue reading
Saint Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro)
The elliptical Piazza San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Square) was designed by Bernini, who is also responsible for the two galleries of pillars “embracing” the square. Saint Peter’s Square contains two fountains and an Egyptian obelisk. According to popular belief, the … Continue reading
FAQ Vatican City
A number of questions that are often asked by tourists about to visit the Vatican City? Is there a dress code for the Vatican City? If so, what is it? Do we need to take our passport to the Vatican … Continue reading
Vatican Museums – Opening hours, tickets etc.
The Vatican Museums in Rome are opened from Monday to Saturday, from 9am until 6pm. The ticket office closed two hours before closing time. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays, except for the last Sunday of the month, when … Continue reading
Saint Peter’s Basilica
The Saint Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) is located in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy. It is built at the exact spot where the Circus of Nero used to be and where the apostle (and very first Pope) … Continue reading