Vatican Museums

WHY VISIT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

The Vatican Museums house one of the most extensive art collections of the Catholic Church in the world, with around 70,000 works on display across more than 40,000 square meters. In addition to Michelangelo’s world-famous masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel—an artistic symbol of Vatican City—you can admire numerous museums along the route, as well as the Vatican Palaces with their galleries, chapels, halls, and an extraordinary collection of ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and modern art. Among the main museums are the Chiaramonti Museum, the Gregorian Profane Museum, the Gregorian Etruscan and Egyptian Museums, the Pio Cristiano Museum, the Pio Clementino Museum, the Missionary Ethnological Museum, the Vatican Library Museum, the Upper Galleries, and the Collection of Modern Religious Art.

A BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

The origins of the Vatican Museums date back to the mid-15th century, when Pope Nicholas V commissioned the design of St. Peter’s Basilica to Bernardo Rossellino and called on Fra Angelico to decorate the Niccoline Chapel. At the end of the 15th century, Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the construction of the Sistine Chapel, which was later frescoed by Michelangelo at the request of Pope Julius II. Around the same period, Pope Alexander VI Borgia made his residence in a reserved wing of the Apostolic Palace, with splendid frescoes by Pinturicchio adorning the rooms. At the beginning of the 16th century, Pope Julius II founded the Vatican Museums, and in 1771, Pope Clement XIV opened them to the public. An interesting anecdote is that, in the early 1500s, the famous Laocoön statue was found in a vineyard and, on the advice of Michelangelo and Giuliano da Sangallo, Pope Julius II acquired it and immediately displayed it in the Vatican.

WHAT ARE THE VATICAN MUSEUMS TODAY

Today, the Vatican Museums are one of the world’s most visited and significant museum complexes. Located in Rome on Viale Vaticano, they are an integral part of Vatican City State. The art collections on display cover seven kilometers of rooms, corridors, and gardens, including museums such as the Vatican Pinacoteca, the Gregorian Egyptian and Etruscan Museums, the Ethnological Missionary Museum, the Pio Clementino Museum, the Collection of Modern Religious Art, and more. The visitor route allows you to discover galleries, chapels—including the Sistine Chapel and the Niccoline Chapel—and countless rooms and environments rich in history and beauty.

CURIOSITIES ABOUT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

Did you know that Michelangelo, to decorate the Sistine Chapel, worked on a surface of over 5,000 square meters? The vault measures thirteen meters wide and about forty meters long, and to fresco it, Michelangelo took over four years, from 1508 to 1512, and another six years for the Last Judgment.

HOW TO VISIT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

As they are among the most frequented museums in the world, it is highly recommended to purchase tickets in advance to avoid long queues. Priority access is also granted to those who take part in group or private guided tours. You can choose from different kinds of itineraries: standard visits of about three hours, or full-day tours that include the Vatican Gardens and the train journey to Castel Gandolfo to visit the Pontifical Villas. With a private guide, you can customize your itinerary, and during summer, you can also attend exclusive evening visits. Some tours allow access to areas usually closed to the public, such as the Niccoline Chapel. Priority admission to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel is also included in guided tours of the Vatican Gardens.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Inside Vatican City, in addition to the Museums, you can visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the renowned Sistine Chapel, and the beautiful Vatican Gardens. Nearby, heading towards the Tiber, you can reach Castel Sant’Angelo, which over the centuries has evolved from a mausoleum—like the still-remaining Tomb of Cecilia Metella—to a fortress, prison, Renaissance residence, and, finally, a museum. Crossing the Tiber takes you into one of Rome’s most historic and monumental areas. There you can find the Ara Pacis, the Capitoline Museums, the Pantheon, and walk to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum, one of Rome’s most famous landmarks worldwide. Not far from the Colosseum is the ancient and majestic Domus Aurea, Nero’s palace. If you want to explore the ruins of one of ancient Rome's largest bath complexes, head to the Baths of Caracalla. In another area, you’ll find the great Villa Borghese park and the Borghese Gallery. By consulting the Rome Map, you can easily move around the city or head to the National Roman Museum, the Villa of the Quintilii on the ancient Appian Way, or Villa d’Este in Tivoli to admire the wonders of the Italian Renaissance. Visiting the Roman Catacombs is also fascinating, or you can explore the Castelli Romani area and the picturesque town of Castel Gandolfo, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

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