Top 10 Things to See in Vatican City

Hey guys, Sean here for The Roman Guy and today we're going to tell you the top 10 things to see in the Vatican City. So here we go. Number 10, Egyptian Gallery. The Egyptian Gallery is especially interesting because in ancient Rome, there were so many of our generals and rulers had close relationship with the dying Egyptian Empire, including Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar himself, both having relations with Cleopatra. If you're going to spend five hours plus inside the Vatican Museums, definitely check it out because it is really, really cool. You can see it highlighted on the map here below. The gallery comprised of five rooms and you could budget about 25 minutes of seeing them. Number nine, the Vatican Gardens. Did you know the Vatican Gardens cover more than half of the Vatican City? You can see the gardens highlighted here on the map. You can spend 45 minutes to one and a half hours depending on the tour you take. We have this at number nine for two reasons. One, the artwork is so incredible inside the museums, it'd be difficult to rate a garden above the works of a master. Second, it can be difficult to organize a visit to the gardens. The Vatican sells a tour of the gardens and we have a tour of the gardens that even goes to Castle Gandolfo on Saturdays. Number eight, the Pinnacoteca. If you're an art history major or art lover, this could easily jump to number three without a problem. The Pinnacoteca is an incredible collection of art that is normally left unnoticed. The Pinnacoteca is also normally empty. This is mostly because it's not on the way to the Sistine Chapel. You can see it highlighted here on the map. When you go in there, you shouldn't miss room seven. This is probably the highlight. Here you'll see four works by the famous Raphael Sanzio. Among them stands a centerpiece, the Transfiguration. Room nine, you'll see the unfinished Saint Jerome by Leonardo da Vinci. Room 10 hosts the Raphael School's Crowning the Virgin. Room 12, here you'll see Caravaggio's Deposition from the Cross, as well as works by Domenichino, Nicholas Pausin, and Guido Reni, including the passionate Saint Matthew with the Angel. I'm leaving out so much from the Pinnacoteca right now, but even definitely pencil in a few moments to bask in front of Peter Wenzel's masterpiece, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I recommend taking notes from our blog on what not to miss so you can budget time to stand in front of all the masterpieces in the Pinnacoteca. Number seven, the Pinecone Courtyard. You can see it highlighted here on the map. You can easily budget 10 minutes or even less. This is a huge courtyard within a massive museum and has three main points of interest. You can see the first one from afar, the Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica. Next, in the center, you'll see Arnaldo Pomodoro's Sphere Within a Sphere. Sometimes the guard will allow you to step inside the ropes and spin the sphere. The last item not to miss is the Great Pinecone, in which the courtyard is named. This pinecone was said to be a centerpiece inside the Pantheon before the Pantheon was ripped apart and used for scraps. Number six, Pio Clementino Museum. This museum within a museum could probably bump up the list for lovers of sculpture. The gallery is a collection of a few rooms that were adored by the famous Michelangelo, Raphael, and other great artists. You can see it here highlighted on the map. Don't miss the Apollo Belvedere and the Laocoon Group in the Octagonal Courtyard. The Laocoon Group was found buried in the 16th century, just a stone's throw from the Colosseum. Michelangelo was called to inspect the piece and immediately recognized the masterpiece. It is said to have been carved over 2,000 years ago. Next, head to the Great Torso, which combined with the Laocoon Group was said to be Michelangelo's inspiration for Jesus in the Last Judgment. The next room in the Pio Clementino Gallery is the Round Hall, which is modeled after the Great Pantheon. Here you'll see multiple works, one of which is under your feet, an ancient Roman mosaic. You'll also see a massive basin, which spans 42 feet, made out of the rarest of rare marbles, red periphery. You won't be able to miss the bronze statue of Hercules as well, which was taken from the area near Largo Argentina. The last room walking through the Pio Clementino Gallery is the Greek Cross Room. Here you'll find two red periphery tombs of Saint Helen and Constantia, a mother and daughter of Constantine, respectively. Plan on spending anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes in this area combined. This is one of the places where stories will come alive if you are with a tour guide. Number five, the Main Galleries. These three corridors are parts of different internal museums or galleries. The Candelabra Gallery, the Gallery of the Tapestries, and the Gallery of the Maps. These three galleries sit at number five together because they house incredible works of art and they're also unavoidable in your route to Sistine Chapel. The tapestries were designed by Raphael and completed by his scuola nuova. They were originally intended to be featured 100 meters down the hall in the Sistine Chapel. There's a bit of a conspiracy theory on why the new location was chosen for these beautiful tapestries and it has something to do with Michelangelo and Raphael's rivalry. The two artists appearing in the same room could be looked at like a comparison. Finally, and arguably most impressive, is the over 120 meter long corridor filled with cartographic maps depicting the entire Vatican Empire. Over 40 maps were designed by Ignacio Dante and the artwork on the ceiling above depicts stories from each of the lands. Maps were commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII and were completed in only three short years. Number four, St. Peter's Square. If you're not planning to visit the Vatican City during your visit to Rome, you should definitely try to budget time to see St. Peter's Basilica. You can see it highlighted here on the map. The square or piazza was designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the mid-17th century. It is the largest completely open area of Rome. It is encased by two massive arms comprised of four rows of colonnades each. As you walk up to the square it is intended to look like two massive arms welcoming you in, which frame out one of the most breathtaking views in Rome, if not the world. Number three, Raphael rooms. Raphael and Michelangelo were easily the largest rivalry in Vatican history. Their statues are situated over the Vatican Museum's entrance, leaning away from each other with grimacing looks on their faces. The Raphael rooms are a significant collection of art that is difficult to miss. You can see them highlighted here on our map. There are four rooms designed by Raphael. You should spend time in all four rooms, but the most notable work is Raphael's masterpiece in room three, the School of Athens. This is featured even on the Vatican Museum's tickets for years. The fresco depicts many of history's greatest minds together in one place at one time, Athens, to discuss philosophy. Raphael even gives credits to his comrades, the artists, by using their images as faces for the different philosophers, including da Vinci and his rival Michelangelo. Raphael was an incredible artist and upon his death, he was given the ultimate compliment for anyone living in Rome, burial at the Pantheon. Number two, St. Peter's Basilica. If you are truly on a budget and can't afford the Vatican Museum, please, please don't miss the Basilica. It is free to get inside and all you have to do is wait in line for security. Get there early and you won't have to wait. You should spend at least 30 minutes to 40 minutes inside. You can see it highlighted here on the map. You can get into the Basilica via the security line outside, but one of the many perks of taking a tour is that you can use a secret door from the Sistine Chapel to get to the Basilica and skip the line for security. Not only that, but there is so much amazing artwork inside this almost two football field long church, it is literally difficult to locate it on your own. You can't name one artist that built the Basilica because it literally was built by every great artist to pass through Rome between 1492 and today. Most notably are Michelangelo for designing the dome based on the Pantheon's design. He also sculpted La Pieta, which you can see on the first name on the right when walking in. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was also heavily involved in many works inside the Basilica, but most notably is Il Baldacchino, which stands tall over what is said to be the body of St. Peter himself. I highly recommend climbing the top of the dome as well. It's taxing on the body, but incredible experience and one of the best views on earth. That brings us to number one. You guessed it, the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was named after Pope Sixtus, who had it refurbished in the 15th century. Most notable works of art are the vault or the ceiling, which depicts the story of Genesis from the Bible featuring the creation of man. This was done by Michelangelo and took four years to paint. He didn't even sketch anything prior to painting. It was all done by eye. Michelangelo also frescoed the Last Judgment, which depicts what our last moments on earth will be like before being casted into heaven, purgatory, or hell. This masterpiece also took about four years and is host to over 300 figures from the Bible. The figures were inspired and modeled after different sculptures Michelangelo was surrounded by inside the Vatican museums where he spent most of his days. So by now you should definitely be a pro at the Vatican. You know what to see, where to see it, and how long to spend. We definitely recommend doing a tour with us, but if you go alone hopefully this video can really help you, you know, navigate your journey. If you're looking for more information in the surrounding neighborhood like where to eat, drink, and what else to see when you're in the area, see our neighborhood series of Rome, Vatican neighborhood episode. I feel like the pope right now. I could be like, yes peoples! wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle