Project Description
The Vatican: the Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s
Tickets: prepaid with reservation, no waiting in line.
Duration: 3 or 4 hours depending on the chosen schedule
Visited sites: the Vatican Museums (collection of ancient statues, the courtyard of the Pigna, the Galleries), the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s
We will start with the Pius-Clementine Museum, which houses the greatest ancient sculptural masterpieces, such as the Apollo of the Belvedere and the Laocoön. Then we will visit the three galleries: the gallery of the Chandeliers, of the Tapestries and the wonderful gallery of Geographical Maps.
Finally, we will arrive at the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo was summoned twice, the first time to paint the enormous vault with scenes depicting the story of Genesis, and the second time, when he was already in his sixties, to paint the spectacular, but terrifying, Last Judgment.
From the Sistine Chapel we will directly enter Saint Peter’s, to visit the largest church in the world, which, however, is not the cathedral of Rome. In St Peter’s, Bernini left magnificent monuments such as the Baldacchino (a sculpted bronze Canopy) and the Cattedra (St Peter’s Chair). Michelangelo’s first Pietà is also kept here, a moving work from his youth, disfigured by a madman in 1972. This program has a duration of approximately 3 hours.
If you would like a more comprehensive program of 4 hours, we will add a visit, within the Museums, to the famous Rooms that Raphael and his workshop painted for Julius II. One of the most famous frescoes in the world is found here, the School of Athens.