Today I will start the series about some of the smallest countries in the world. First stop is the Holy See or the Vatican, the smallest of all, with an area of only 0.44 km². The state is so small that even the Italian Embassy is hosted by Rome. I will let you look up other geographical stats about Vatican by yourself and I will try to point out what you can visit here. There aren't too many places to see, but one thing is for sure... they are famous.
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| Saint Peter's Basilica |
On the top of the list there are Saint Peter's Basilica and Saint Peter's Square. This is where thousands of people get together to listen to the Holy Father on different Catholic holidays. I'm not sure pictures will give you the feeling that one has when there, but the square is huge and you will feel the same when you enter the Basilica. Before entering, don't miss out the massive bronze door on the right. It is called the Holy Door and it opens only for the Jubilees. If you are wondering what Jubilees are, I will tell you. They are special years of forgiveness of sins. The tradition has started in 1300 and it was supposed to be repeated every one hundred years. After being changed several times, from every one hundred years to every thirty-three years and then to every fifty years, Jubilees are currently held every twenty five years. Pilgrims looking for remission of their sins have to visit the four Papal Basilicas during the Jubilee : St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, Sf. Paul Outside-The-Walls and, of course, St. Peter. You now have fourteen years to plan your trip to Vatican, you can't say it's all too sudden.
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| Saint Peter's statue |
Let's get inside the Saint Peter's Basilica. First of all, give yourself some time to recover from the amazement caused by its dimensions... Done? Next thing you'll notice inside are the statues. The most famous are the bronze statue of Saint Peter, which you will easily recognize by the worn-out toes on the right foot, and Michelangelo's Pietà. I guess you are wondering why the worn-out toes... The story is simple and it's related to the tradition pilgrims have : touching the right foot of the statue every time they visit the Basilica. You can view the detailed plan of St. Peter's Basilica with a description of each statue and shrine here.
Visiting hours are from 7:00 to 18:30, from 1st of October to 31st of March, and 7:00 - 19:00, otherwise. There's no entrance fee, the only condition is to be decently dressed. You can check the updated visiting schedule here.
From the Basilica you can also visit the Vatican Necropolis, which hosts more than one hundred burial sites, not only of the Holy Fathers, but also of several cardinals and princes.
From the Basilica you can also visit the Vatican Necropolis, which hosts more than one hundred burial sites, not only of the Holy Fathers, but also of several cardinals and princes.
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| Saint Peter's Square seen from the tower |
The most adventurous of you might want to visit the Basilica's tower. You should know that you will have to mount 551 steps ( for 5 Euro ) or you can take the elevator and then you will "only" have left 320 steps ( 7 Euro ). The visiting hours and the updated entrance fees are listed here.
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| Vatican Museums |
Last stop in Vatican is at the Vatican Museums. You can visit here, amongst others, the Gregorian Egyptian Museum, the Gregorian Etruscan Museum, Pinacoteca, Raphael's Rooms and, of course, the Sixtine Chapel. They are one of the greatest museums in the world. The good news is that, besides the Sixtine Chapel, where it is forbidden to take pictures or to film, you are allowed to do any of them in the other locations, but without using the flash light. You will also have to keep the silence in the Sixtine Chapel, otherwise you will hear a very long "sssttttt" addressed to you by the supervisors there.
The schedule and the entrance fees can be found here. If you want to skip the queue, you can book your ticket online from here and pay an extra fee of 4 Euro. But if you're more anxious than that and you can't wait until you get to Vatican, you can virtually visit the places I've been telling you about by clicking on the links below.
Virtual Tours
Virtual Tours
- St. Peter's Basilica
- St. Paul Outside-The-Walls
- St. John Lateran
- St. Mary Major
- Vatican Necropolis
- Sixtine Chapel
- Gregorian Egyptian Museum
- Gregorian Etruscan Museum
- Raphael's Rooms
- Pinacoteca
View the Vatican and the Papal basilicas on a larger map
A few words in Latin just before the end of this post : "Inserito Scidulam Quaeso Ut Faciundam Cognoscas Rationem". No, it's not a dictum, it's just the usual "Please insert the card to access your account". You will see that message if you are trying to use any of the ATMs in Vatican. Why Latin? The answer is simple : it's the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and of Vatican.
This is all I had to say about Vatican. I'll be back with another one of the smallest states in the world.
This is all I had to say about Vatican. I'll be back with another one of the smallest states in the world.
