Vatican City Off The Beaten Path

  Castel Sant'Angelo
by hopang
 
  • Castel Sant'Angelo
      Castel Sant'Angelo
    by hopang
  • The lovely bridge
      The lovely bridge
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  • Full view of Castel Sant'Angelo
      Full view of Castel Sant'Angelo
    by hopang
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by Pod
  •   Off The Beaten Path
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

A freebie with your Vatican Tour ticket!

by icunme

THE LATERAN PALACE MUSEUMIt is not really publicized but your Vatican Museum Tour ticket provides you free entry to the Lateran Palace Museum as well - across town Basilica San Giovanni at Piazza San Giovanni LateranoA unique and small museum that includes the old residence of the popes at St. John Lateran. The present exhibit in the apartment explains the history and tradition of the papal court of Pope Pius IX.. A splendid and rare museum open only on Weekends. Open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:45 AM to 1 PM. Enter the portico of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (take a look through this 1st seat of the Pope while you're there) and go to the RIGHT to the doors of the Papal Apartment. Entrance is free to this museum WITH any Vatican Museum or Vatican Tour ticket stub that you have used within a very recent time - check for your dates and try to go within 3 days of your Vatican...

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Vatican Gardens

by icunme

If you hot-foot it through the Museum you could easily miss the many vistas available from the many Museum windows. Hoping that you enter the Museum with time to spare so you can fully enjoy the views along with the all the art works.THE VATICAN GARDENS: A 90 minute bus and walking tour of the Vatican Gardens is possible through the Office of Information for Pilgrims and Tourists at the Vatican. This tour of the Gardens is offered everyday at 10 AM except Wednesdays and Sundays, and originates at the office. Plan to be present 15 minutes prior at 9:45 AM. The new office is located in Saint Peter's Square near the Post Office. Ask a guard for directions. Tickets must be purchased in advance. You can reach them by telephone at 011.3906.698.84466 or by telefax at 011.3906.698.85100.Note: The Vatican Gardens tour is separate from the Vatican Museum Tour.

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A pleasant respite away from the crowd

by icunme

It was closing time in the Vatican Museum and I was surprised to note that I had been there for six hours. I'm sure I'll still find little nooks I missed on my next trip. Here in the Courtyard of the Pinecones you will enjoy a very pleasant respite from the sporadic wave of crowds inside the Museum. There was hardly anyone in the Courtyard as I rested my weary feet.Photo 2 - So, what's with the bronze ball there in the center? Its called Sphere Within Sphere (Sfera Con Sfera). It measures 4 meters in diameter and was created in 1990 by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro - noted for his casting of gigantic columns and globes. The fractured outer surface of the sphere reveals a complex inner sphere that represents the harsh difficulties of the modern world at the end of the second millennium. If one views this work from all the various angles, it will give many perspectives. People did jostle to have...

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Scavi - Excavations Tour Tomb of St Peter

by icunme

Is the Tomb of St. Peter beneath the Basilica?Catholic news reports now maintain that modern scientific archaeology has confirmed quite conclusively what tradition has maintained all along. For almost two thousand years all we had to get by on was merely oral tradition and the writings of the Fathers. Then, during the 40s of the last century, the first scientific archaeological excavations were carried out. The results revealed that St. Peter's tomb is indeed located below the Basilica. Further, the walls around the grave were engraved with various graffiti bearing the names: Jesus, Mary and Peter. One of these graffiti is composed of 7 Greek letters; it is inscribed on a red-coloured wall adjacent to the Tomb, and reads: Petr eni . It was customary in those days to leave out some letters from inscriptions. However, Dr. Margherita Guarducci, an internationally acknowledged expert on...

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The Dead!

by crazyman2

We all think of St.Peters etc. when the Vatican is mentioned...... but the Vatican also owns other parts of Rome. The catacombes under Paris, which contain millions of skeletons removed from graveyards, have always intrigued me. So when I was in Rome I decided to visit some of the Vatican's catacombes which had been used as tombs. There is a lot of history attached e.g. Christians v Romans. The site I explored took about an hour to view as part of a guided tour. It was interesting ---and the rather aged Irish priest who took us around had some great stories.Try it!Claustrophobic? Don't go down if you suffer!

Don't Neglect the Courtyard

by rmlopez74

With so much to see in Vatican City, most simply make a bee-line toward St. Peters or the Sistine. But don't neglect the courtyard and the surrounding colonnade. Take some time to walk it. Just the architecture on the pillars is in itself worth it. The Saint statues that line the top are interesting as well. Plenty of great photo opportunities.

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25 years as a Pope

by kenHuocj

%L[http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/pope/attridge_michael050402.htmlAn in depth article " . . . . . . .is realm of menschlichkeit, authentic humanity, is where John Paul’s appeal comes from. For a pope of a hundred trips and a million words, perhaps the most important lesson he’s offered is the coherence of his own life. When he urges Christians, in the words of Jesus, to Duc in Altum -- to set off into the deep -- it resonates even with those who seek very different shores.As Hamlet said of his father, perhaps John Paul’s admirers and critics together might be able to say of him: “He was a man. Take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.”John L. Allen Jr. is NCR Rome Correspondent."

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Schedules

by IIGUANA

Be sure to have the schedules of openings and closings of the different museums and Saint Peter's itself. As many paintings are very sensitive to light, opening hours are very short, so you might not see some.I had to go twice to see the Sistine Chapel, as it was closed the first day I went (and it was noon). Make sure about the date, as the schedules change from time to time, depending on Christian festivities.

Museums 10

by dr.firas

The pictures exposed in the Vatican picture gallery are of exceptional interest:They are part of a collection begun by Pope Pius VI (1775-1799)Which underwent various removals before being worthily housed in this functional building!

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Museums 9

by dr.firas

The Vatican picture gallery:Early Italians and Byzantines Giotto and followersBeato AngelicoMelozzo da ForliMinor painters of the 15th century 15th century polyptychos 15th century Umbrian SchoolRaphaelTransfigurationLeonardo da VinciTitian, Veronese and various 16th century artists

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Questions and Answers

Irkita62 profile photo

Q:  How I can book tickets for the visit of Vatican Gardens in minibus and than museums of Vatican? In thw website I find the Vatican... 

goodfish profile photo

A: The only thing I can find for the gardens that mentions a minivan - and it isn't even very definite - is this... 

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