VATICAN MUSEUMS
Good morning! Today is a momentous day.
What are your first thoughts about Rome? When you plan your trip to Rome, what attractions pop up in your mind? Is there any attraction you do not want to miss while in Rome?
Today, We are going to visit Rome! I will take you to the place that you do not want to miss while you are in Rome. It is a Vatican Museum. A place filled with history, art, and the spirit that has permeated for centuries. The site that you should not miss while you are in Rome! I want to share my impressions about the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Room. It was a fantastic feeling as I walked through the museum’s corridors. It was like I was going through the states, experiencing various periods, or as if I had reached a fairy tale.
Seven tips you must not miss before you visit the Vatican Museum, Italy
TIP #1
The first and most important tip is to buy a ticket in advance. I didn’t want to wait in line for 3 hours to buy a ticket. A lot of companies sell tickets. Just be careful not to run into fake sellers. For all information, you can find the link below the text. How to get to the museum, buy a ticket, the most important thing to visit, etc. There are days when the museum is less seen and the time of year when you will not encounter huge crowds, but none of this matters if you book a ticket. Sometimes it is more important when you are ready to visit a place like the Vatican Museum.
TIP #2
Dress comfortably. Flat and comfortable shoes are a ‘must-have.’ After 3 hours of walking through the museum, I could not feel my feet, and there was so much more to see. When I was planning to come to the museum, I had nothing else in mind that day as I had not limited myself in time. I think I spent a total of 5-6 hours in the museum. The average time spent in a museum is about 2-3 hours, but I was so fascinated by art that it lasted. The area of the museum is approximately 7.5 km.
Here are also dress codes for museum visitors. The skirt or shorts you are wearing must cover your knees. You should also not wear anything sleeveless. However, you can always bring a scarf to cover your bare shoulders.
TIP #3
An equally important point is to have some snacks with you. I walked a lot and looked at the details. It took me about 3 hours to get to the cafeteria where there was no choice of food and drinks. If you haven’t had breakfast, it can make you nervous. The cafe was busy too, so I waited around 15 ‘for my turn.
TIP #4
Be careful what you take with you to the Vatican Museum. See on the site what is allowed and what is not.
TIP #5
Beware of pickpockets. You may realize late that you are missing some things.
TIP #6
What you do not want to miss are certain parts of the museum, such as the Pinacoteca. There you will see unique collections of paintings from around the world—especially the Sistine Chapel, a masterpiece in itself. I sat there for half an hour, enjoying the view and resting my feet.
TIP #7
Do not visit the Vatican Museum on Sundays and Mondays. It is closed on Sundays, except for the last week of the month when the entrance is free, but then it is the most visited, so a visit to the museum will not be pleasant. On Mondays, most museums are closed, so the museum is the busiest at that time, and then there are the biggest crowds.
Do not miss Gregorian Egyptian Museum
I have to admit that I am ready to spend a lot of time walking the corridors and enjoying the art, although it is very exhausting. As always, I was overjoyed wherever I traveled and could see Egyptian art and history.
- Do not miss Georgian Egyptian museum. It always attracted me. When I visited Egypt on one occasion, after I finished my studies, I felt at home even though everything was somehow strange to me at the same time. I felt as free and comfortable in Luxor as I did when I walked through Alexandria. Why is that? I do not know.
- The map gallery was also amazing to me. I love old maps! You can see the wall covered with 40 different maps showing different regions of Italy. Some maps were turned upside down by today’s standard. That’s only because, in the 16th century, the north was at the bottom of the map.
- What was beautiful to me were the Vatican gardens. I think all the gardens of Italy are beautiful and are made for a man to enjoy while walking.
- What was vital for me to visit in the Vatican and what I did not want to miss were Raphael’s rooms or the Vatican rooms. In the 16th century, Pope Julius II hired Raphael to paint his rooms because he was dissatisfied with previous artists. Of the four rooms, I don’t know which is more beautiful.
The Raphael Rooms
The Raphael rooms are one of the most famous Renaissance interiors. Raphael and his assistants painted those frescos between 1508 and 1524. At the same time, Michelangelo Buanorotti was working on Sistine Chapel.
There is a story about Raphael, who sneaks out at night to inspect Michelangelo’s work.
While working on those four rooms, he mastered the signature techniques of the Renaissance and showed authentic emotionality and expression with precise color and clarity.
Four famous Rafaelo’s rooms you should not skip
ROOM OF THE SIGNATURA
There were 244 manuscripts in the library.
Paintings you can see:
- School of Athens – Raphael’s most famous and beloved painting. It represent real Renaissance – art, philosophy, and science
- Disputation over the Holy Sacrament – It depicts the glorification of Christan faith and the sacrament, Rafael’s amazing painting.
- Apollo on Mount Parnassus – Apollo was a god of poetry.
ROOM OF HELIODORUS
The Room of Heliodorus was recently restored in 2020.
The idea was to show the power of the church and the protection granted by Christ. Frescos you can see:
- The Expulsion of Heliodorus – Helidodus was a successor of Alexander the Great. He stole a precious treasure. The treasure was held in the Temple of Jerusalem. Frescoes show the attack by heavenly messengers on Heliodorus in order to take the treasure back
- The Miracle of Bolsena
- The Liberation of St. Peter – Do not miss to see the liberation of St. Peter from jail. This fresco showed off Raphael’s painter skills. He was able to do night scenes very persuasively. The contrasts of the dungeon with glowing angels are amazing.
- Pope Leo the Great Turns Away Attila the Hun
THE ROOM OF THE FIRE IN THE BORGO
When Julius II died, Pope Leo X decided to paint all the popes who had the same name as Leo III and Leo IV.
- It was Pope Leo’s dining room.
The painting you must see is:
- Fire in the Borgo – This paint shows lot of emotions, musculature of the figures, which represent Mannerism in the future art.
HALL OF CONSTANTINE
The frescoes are dedicated to Constantine’s life and symbolically represent the church’s victory over paganism.
The Room of Constantine is the largest and most politically oriented. The frescos were intended to simulate tapestries:
- The vision of the Cross – Constantine sees across that inspired him to convert to Christianity.
- Battle of the Milvian Bridge
- Donation of Constantine – the imperial document was revealed to be a medieval forgery
- Baptism of Constantine – This painting shows the baptism of Constantine
Useful links
- Useful info for Vatican visitors
- More about Rafael’s rooms
- Sistine Chapel
- More about Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti
- More about my Trip through Italy by motorcycle
Q & A
- Why is the Vatican famous?
- The Vatican remains the home of the pope.
- It is the smallest country in the world.
- It has his own army of 135 people of Swiss origine
- The Vatican City, one of the most sacred places in Christendom.
- It has a unique collection of artistic and architectural masterpieces.
- What should you wear to the Vatican City?
- They prohibit wearing shorts/ skirts above the knee, sleeveless tops, and low-cut shirts.
- Closed shoese are mandatory. More info check here.
- What should I not miss at the Vatican?
- Saint Peter’s square
- Saint Peter’s basilica
- Sistine chapel
- Raphael Santi rooms
- Gallery of Maps
- Pietà
- Gregorian Egyptian Museum
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The Vatican museum is one of the museums that I really want to visit one day. That you foe sharing all these useful info from your experience!
Author
I am glad you like it and that I can help you and make your trip easier 🙂
I love this kind of tips, they are very useful!
Author
Thank you, I am glad I can help.