Points of Interest
St Peter's Basilica
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Private Vatican Museums & St.Peter’s Basilica
From: $82.38
TOUR DURATION
4 Hours
START TIME
09:00 AM & 02:00 PM
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
MEETING POINT
Vatican MuseumS entrance, more details at booking
Tour
ItineraryTour
InclusionsTour
Information
ItineraryTour
InclusionsTour
Information
TOUR ITINERARY
Meet your private guide at the designated meeting point just outside the Vatican Museums. From there, your half day private tour of the Vatican will begin in the galleries of the Vatican Museums, home to the most celebrated art collection in Europe.
This collection includes artifacts, sculptures, frescoes and mosaics from antique to modern times that originate from all over the world. Throughout the centuries, Popes started to collect objects from ancient Egypt, ancient Rome and the Etruscan civilization, as well as from the first churches and basilicas ever built –a task which they pursue to this day. Some highlights from the Vatican collection include artworks by Giotto, Raphael, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian and Bellini. The tour will take you throughout the various rooms and hallways that compose the Vatican Museums until you eventually arrive in the last room: the spectacular Sistine Chapel, extreme expression of Michelangelo’s genius.
Last but not least, you will visit the largest sanctuary of Christianity, St. Peter’s Basilica, where proportions seem to have been forgotten in an amazing triumph of marble, bronze and mosaic works. Many artists and architects worked on this massive undertaking, resulting in the fantastic artistic and architectural wonder in front of you now.
End the tour in St. Peter’s Square, as your guide points out Bernini’s ingenious use of optical illusion.
TOUR INCLUSIONS
– Expert local guide at disposal
– Reservation and entrance fee at Vatican Museums
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
– Tapestry Gallery
– Gallery of Maps
– Raphael romms
– Sistine Chapel
– St Peter’s Basilica
– St Peter’s Square
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
– Confirmation will be received at time of booking
– Voucher and detailed operator information, including local emergency numbers will be received three weeks before the date of your tour.
– Adult pricing applies to all travelers
– Backpacks, umbrellas and tripods must be left inside a cloakroom on entering Vatican Museum.
The tour ends in St Peter’s Square that is at 15 minutes walking from the entrance and cloackroom. We recommend that backpacks tripods and umbrellas are not taken on this tour.
– The dress code for men and women is strictly enforced at St. Peter’s Basilica. No shorts, bare shoulders or miniskirts.
Departure point:
Vatican Museums entrance
Duration:
4 hours
Return details:
St. Peter’s Square
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel is the most famous chapel of the Apostolic Palace. The Sistine Chapel belongs to the Vatican Museums and since it is considered as one of the museums of the complex, it is possible to visit its beauty.
The Sistine Chapel takes its name from the Pope Sixtus IV who ordered the renovation of the old chapel Cannella Magna between 1477 and 1480, however the chapel is most famous for the stunning Renaissance frescoes covering its walls and ceilings. Pope Julius II ordered the decoration of the ceiling to be done by Michelangelo, who painted 1100 square meters between 1508 and 1512.
Things to see
For many, this masterpiece is considered to be one of the best works ever realized by Michelangelo, particularly The Last Judgment located just behind the altar. This huge fresco was realized between 1536 and 1541. In the middle of the masterpiece, we can see Jesus Christ in a light halo; he is surrounded by Mary and several Saints expecting his final decision.
Once the fresco was finished, a huge scandal broke out because too many figures were judged obscene as they were painted naked. In 1564, the Congregation of the Council of Trent decided these figures should be covered and this task was given to the painter Daniele de Volterra. He had to paint draperies which would cover the private parts of the different characters. This earned the artist the nickname of “Braghettone”, which means “breeches maker”. Michelangelo was not the only artist who worked on the chapel; Botticelli, Domenico and Perugino all contributed several frescoes depicting the lives of Moses and Jesus Christ.
Since Pope Sixtus IV, the Sistine Chapel has been used for religious activities and papal meetings. Nowadays, the Sistine Chapel is open to the public as well as the place where the pope is elected.
