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Rome, the Eternal City, among its historical and architectural beauties, also houses the Vatican City State, with the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel inside. Discover our tour of the Vatican Museums.
The Egyptian Gregorian Museum
The Egyptian Museum was founded in 1839 by Gregory XVI and contains both Egyptian artifacts purchased by the popes in the late 1700s, and statues brought to Rome in the imperial era. In addition to the precious sarcophagi of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC, in the third room, the statues that adorned the Villa of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138) are noteworthy: they are of black basalt, fashioned in imitation of the Egyptian ones.
The Gregorian Etruscan Museum
The Etruscan Museum was founded in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI, houses vases, bronzes and other finds from southern Etruria, a large collection of vases of Greek influence, as well as finds from the Roman age (Antiquarium Romanum). In addition, Room II houses the finds from the Regolini Galassi tomb and in Rooms IV-VIII, called”Precious”, there are gold jewelry exhibited by Etruscan goldsmiths during the ten centuries of their civilization’s life.
The Pio Clementino Museum
The Pio Clementino Museum was created by the will of popes Clement XIV (1769-1774) and Pius VI (1775- 1799) to collect the most important Greek and Roman masterpieces kept in the Vatican. From the Apoxyomenos Cabinet, the Bramante Staircase, commissioned by Julius II in 1512 to create a link between the Palazzetto of Innocent VIII (1484-1492) and the city is visible in the next room. We then move on to the Cortile Ottagono, made of this form by Clement XIV in 1772.
The Candelabra Gallery
The Galleria dei Candelabri, built in 1761, was originally an open loggia and was closed in the late 1700s. The ceiling paintings are from 1883-1887. There are Roman statues, copies of Greek originals from the Hellenistic period (III-I century BC) and, in correspondence with the arches, large candelabra from the II century AD.coming from Otricoli.
Gallery of Tapestries
In the Tapestry Gallery, you can admire Flemish tapestries made in Brussels, on cartoons by Raphael‘s pupils, from the workshop of Pieter van Aelst at the time of Clement VII (1523-1534). They were exhibited for the first time in the Sistine Chapel in 1531 and subsequently set up for exhibition in this Gallery in 1838.
Geographical maps gallery
In the Gallery of Geographical Maps you will be delighted by the forty geographical maps, painted between 1580 and 1585, based on cartoons by Ignazio Danti, a famous geographer of the time. Imagining the path of the tunnel as the Apennines, a dividing element from north to south, the regions bathed by the Tyrrhenian Sea are frescoed on one wall, on the other the regions bathed by the Adriatic. The cards depict the Italian regions and possessions of the Church at the time of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585).
The Raphael Rooms
Raphae’s rooms formed the apartments of Pope Julius II (1503-1513) and were painted in the following chronological order: Room of the Segnatura 1508-1511, Room of Heliodorus 1511-1514, Room of the Fire of the Borgo 1514-1517, Hall by Constantine 1517-1524. The “School of Athens” is one of Raphael’s most famous paintings, we find it in the “Room of the Segnatura”.
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (1471-1484), who wanted to build a new large room, intended to accommodate the meetings of the papal court. The splendid mosaic pavement, which dates back to the 1400s, is still intact today. You can get excited in front of the wall with the “Last Judgment” made by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), from 1536 to 1541, commissioned by Pope Paolo III Farnese (1534-1549).
F.A.Q. Vatican Museums Tour
Q. Does the Vatican Museums entrance ticket include the Sistine Chapel?
A. Yes, the visit to the Sistine Chapel is included in the reservation of the Vatican Museums entrance ticket.
Q. Does the Vatican Museums entrance ticket include St. Peter's Basilica?
A. No, St. Peter's Basilica is not included in the booking. Admission to St. Peter’s Basilica is free and cannot be booked.
Q. Do I need to present any documents to access the Museums?
A. You must present a copy of the voucher (on paper or in electronic format) and a valid identity document.
Q. How should I dress to enter the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel?
A. Clothes that are out of arm and /or low-cut are not allowed; important is to keep your shoulders and knees covered.
Q. Is it possible to book reduced tickets?
A. Yes, it is possible for children aged between 6 and 18 and students up to 25 years of age with a valid student document to be presented on the day of the visit.
Q. Do I have to pay the reduced ticket if there are children under the age of 6 in my group?
A. No, they can enter, free of charge, together with those booked without any problem.
Q. Are there any reductions for those over 65 years of age?
A. No, they don’t exist, the ticket to buy is the full fare ticket.
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