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Situated on the west bank of the Tiber, just across from the city centre, the Vatican City was established as a sovereign state in 1929, a tiny territory surrounded by high walls on its far western side, and on the near side opening its doors to the rest of the city and its pilgrims in the form of St Peter’s and its colonnaded piazza. The city-state’s one thousand inhabitants have their own radio station, daily newspaper, postal service, and even a security service in the form of the colourfully dressed Swiss Guards.
It’s believed that St Peter was buried in a pagan cemetery on the Vatican hill, leading to the construction of a basilica in his name and the eventual establishment of the Catholic Church’s headquarters here. Stretching north from St Peter’s, the Renaissance papal palaces now house the Vatican Museums, an essential stop on any classic Italy trip, and quite simply the largest, most compelling, and perhaps most exhausting museum complex in the world.
St Peter’s Basilica
The Basilica di San Pietro, better known as St Peter’s, is the most important shrine in the Catholic Church. Built over the tomb of St Peter, it showcases the work of Italy’s greatest architects from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Queues can be long, so plan to arrive before 9 am or after 5 pm to avoid the worst of the crowds. You’ll need to pass through security, and the dress code is strictly enforced; no bare shoulders or knees. If your Vatican and Assisi trip includes a visit here, a bit of planning goes a long way to making the most of this iconic experience.
The interior
Entering the basilica, the first thing you see is Michelangelo’s graceful Pietà on the right, completed when he was just 24. Following an attack by a vandal in 1972, it sits behind glass, strangely remote from the life of the rest of the building. Further into the church, the dome is breathtakingly imposing, rising high above the supposed site of St Peter’s tomb. With a diameter of 41.5m it is Rome’s largest dome, supported by four enormous piers, decorated with reliefs depicting the basilica’s “major relics”: St Veronica’s handkerchief, which was used to wipe the face of Christ; the lance of St Longinus, which pierced Christ’s side; and a piece of the True Cross. On the right side of the nave, the bronze statue of St Peter is another of the most venerated monuments in the basilica, its right foot polished smooth by the attentions of pilgrims. Bronze was also the material used in Bernini’s wild, spiralling baldacchino, a massive 26m high, cast out of 927 tonnes of metal removed from the Pantheon roof in 1633. Bernini’s feverish sculpting decorates the apse, too, his bronze Cattedra enclosing the chair of St Peter, though more interesting is his monument to Alexander VII in the south transept, with its winged skeleton struggling underneath the heavy marble drapes, upon which the Chigi pope is kneeling in prayer.
The treasury and grottoes
An entrance off the south aisle, under a giant monument to Pius VII, leads to the treasury, which has among many riches the late fifteenth-century bronze tomb of Pope Sixtus IV by Pollaiuolo. Steps lead down by Bernini's statue of St Longinus to the grottoes, which extend right under the footprint of the main church. The majority of the popes are buried here, including John Paul II.
The roof and dome
You can make the ascent to the roof and dome by taking the entrance to the right of the basilica complex. The views from the gallery around the interior of the dome give you a sense of the huge size of the church, and from there you can make the (challenging) ascent to the lantern at the top of the dome, from which the views over the city are as glorious as you’d expect.
The Vatican Museums
No matter how many museums you’ve seen in Rome, nothing really compares to the Vatican Museums. Located on Viale Vaticano, about a fifteen-minute walk from St Peter’s Square, they’re a must on any trip to Italy that includes the capital.
Packed with treasures from ancient Rome to the Renaissance, the collection reflects centuries of papal power and taste. Many of the Renaissance’s greatest artists worked for the Vatican, and it shows. The result? A museum complex so rich in art and artifacts it makes most other European collections feel second-rate.
Rough Guides tip: Explore our detailed guide on how to get around Rome to feel more confident during your Italy trips.
Top image: Looking down over Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City © Banauke/Shutterstock
