Vatican: Where faith meets history

The Vatican City State is actually its own country. It is landlocked within the city of Rome, Italy but it is its own territory and became independent from Italy in 1929. The Vatican is the home of the Pope, the Holy See and the Roman Curia which is the administrative institution which the Roman Catholic Church is conducted through and is the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. They have their own flag and coat of arms.

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are a must to visit at least once in your lifetime! When I say I was blown away at the history in this museum, there truly is nothing like it. The amount of history and artifacts is so overwhelming. You could spend years and years exploring all the items in this museum. Google says there are roughly 70,000 works of art and about only 20,000 of them are on display. The museums were founded by Pope Julius II in the early 1600s. There are rooms after rooms with so many artifacts you can’t possibly take in all of them. We were in a tour group with a headset so we would listen to our tour guide give some history about certain pieces but we missed so much because we had to keep moving (and the place was packed like a can of sardines). But there were rooms full of statues, paintings, maps, murals on the ceilings and hallways full of tapestries. It was so amazing to see so much history and talent. We booked our tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica on TripAdvisor in advanced and trust me you do NOT want to wait in the line to purchase your tickets at the door. Side note: We had to take a cab from our hotel in Rome to the Vatican because it was too far to walk and the taxi drivers were crazy! The one that took us back to our hotel was driving with his leg in tight ally ways, going 40mph with parked cars on each side of the road and people crossing in between cars. When he dropped us off he did not take cards (which he told us he did when we got in), so thankfully we had enough cash. It was also double what it cost us to get a ride over there because it was in the evening. So be prepared to pay more for a taxi depending on the times of day that you are visiting.

There is no A/C in the Vatican Museum so bring a hand fan! Trust me it will be a lifesaver while you are there. If you forget to bring one you can purchase one from one from the vendors outside of the Vatican but just be willing to pay more money to get one. Nic was able to haggle with them and got one for cheaper and I was so grateful to have it inside. -Kylie

St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel

Out of all the churches in Europe we visited St. Peter’s Basilica was my favorite. It was massive and the beauty of it was captivating. They were having a service going on while we were visiting and it was beautiful to listen to them sing and speak in Latin. I would recommend getting tickets to go inside the church. If you do not have tickets I heard it can take up to 2-3 hours of waiting in line to get in.

Make sure you are dressed appropriately (both men and women) to enter St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel as these are places of worship. People were being turned away for not having the proper clothing. Shoulders and knees must be covered and this is for men and women. I wore a long skirt with a large scarf covering my top so my shoulders were covered. Women are allowed to wear hats but men must take their hats off before entering. -Kylie

The Sistine Chapel is gorgeous but you are not allowed to take photos while inside and you are not allowed to talk. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment which is on the wall of the chapel. Both are breathtaking. Everyone gathers into the room and you are supposed to be silent and take in the beauty of the paintings and God’s presence. It truly was incredible but what ruined it for me was everyone talking so they kept having to say over the intercom, “Silence, this is a place of God,” in like five different languages. You are also standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone and it is very hot in there. It is definitely worth it to visit at least once but I don’t feel the need to go back.

Would you like to visit the Vatican City? I hope this helps as you plan your experience in such a rich history and faith filled place.