Famous for the place of worship of the Pope and the Catholic Church, Vatican City, situated in Rome has over 25,000 tourists visiting daily.
The Sistine Chapel, originally known as the Cappella Magna, was restored between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV and was thus named after him. The chapel is just one of the breathtaking experiences in the Vatican City. The exquisite paintings by famous painter Michelangelo, in particular the ceiling paintings, causes crowds to stop and gaze up in awe at their spectacular nature. This includes the well known ‘Creation of Adam’ piece of art. Entry to the Sistine Chapel is only €16, which a small price to pay for the magnificent pieces of art and architecture within.
Obviously, you cannot visit the Vatican City without being transfixed at St. Peters Square. The large plaza gives you the perfect view of the City and is perfect location for photos in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Framing and giving the shape of St. Peters Square are the tremendous columns making the City’s architecture even more outstanding. It is said that the columns are used so that the visitors are surrounded in ‘the maternal arms of the Mother Church’, welcoming them to the Catholic Church. However, not only followers of the Catholic Church visit the Vatican City, over 40% estimate visit the city each year, who are not Catholic but just to experience the atmosphere and to see breathtaking pieces of art.
The beautiful Vatican Gardens, full of fountains and perfectly maintained flowers, cover more than half of the country. Unfortunately the gardens are not open for the public, but there are limited guided tours for some lucky people to experience the stunning 57 acres of the garden.
You cannot visit Rome without experiencing the cuisine, however, there are a limited amount of restaurants and cafes in Vatican City, however there is a small cafe in the main museum that offers tourists a small choice of snacks. Therefore the best choice is to venture out and try numerous restaurants surrounding the City including delicious pizzeria’s to ensure a taste of Italy on your trip.
Even if you are only going for a short trip to Rome, make sure you take a few hours of your day to see the beautiful and breathtaking views of the Vatican City.
Even if you are only going for a short trip to Rome, make sure you take a few hours of your day to see the beautiful and breathtaking views of the Vatican City.
Becky Christmas
Featured Image by Alex Lecea, Embedded Images by, Robert Linsdell, LaVladina, piet theisohn via Flickr
