Rome is one of those rare, awe-inspiring cities that makes you feel like you’re entering somewhere very special. With the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon and Circus Maximus, it’s not a case of trying to imagine what ancient Rome was like – the fantastic condition of Rome’s age-old edifices leaves little to the imagination and the two-millennia old Pantheon is still actually used today as a place of worship.
Indeed, if ancient history comes to life in what is aptly known as ‘the Eternal City’, Rome’s more recent history is even more spectacular. Strictly speaking, the Vatican City is an independent state (the world’s smallest, as it happens) and not part of Rome at all, but from a tourist’s perspective, the Vatican is very much a part of the city that surrounds it.
The Vatican City is a landlocked, sovereign city-state, a walled enclave of roughly 44 hectares that has only 800 official residents, none of whom are permanent. It is the spiritual centre for Roman Catholics across the globe, and the physical home of the Pope.
Regardless of your religious leaning, no visit to Rome is complete without a trip to the mesmerising Vatican. St Peter’s Basilica takes centre stage in the Vatican, and its breathtakingly beautiful interior transcends all religions and cultures. Its 218 meter long nave and 42 meter diameter dome (138 meters high!) means that St Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and the interior is adorned with the handiwork of some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Michelangelo, Bernini and Canova. The church is free to enter and, if you’re lucky, you may even catch one of the Pope’s regular sermons.
Art lovers really are spoilt in the Vatican City. Over the centuries, the Vatican Museums have grown into perhaps the world’s greatest museum complex, housing arguably the finest art collection on Earth.
The most famous of these is the Sistine Chapel, which has been frescoed throughout the ages by the likes of Raphael, Bernini and Botticelli. From 1508-1512, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet of ceiling, and ‘The Last Judgement’ is widely regarded as one of his greatest achievements.
The Vatican City should take no longer than a day out of your schedule, meaning you’ll have plenty of time to explore Rome’s countless other delights. Of course, as one of the world’s foremost city tourist destinations, flights to Rome arrive from far and wide from across the world.
If the Colosseum is a symbol of Rome’s ancient past, the Vatican City serves as a marker of its more recent history. Any visit to this splendid city is one never to be forgotten.