Things to do in  Vatican City

Home to some of Italy’s most important art collections—from paintings and sculptures to tapestries and classical antiquities—the Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) are among the country’s top attractions. Explore the Pinacoteca, Egyptian Museum, Gallery of Tapestries, Pius-Clementine Museum, and Gallery of Maps, before admiring the crown jewels in the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina), famed for Michelangelo’s ceiling and The Last Judgment.

Michelangelo’s spectacular 16th-century ceiling frescoes are the biggest draw to the Sistine Chapel, one of the most celebrated and visited sights in Italy. The monumental The Last Judgment, which covers the apse wall, is one of the artist’s best-known works and an influential masterpiece in art history. The chapel also holds works by Sandro Botticelli and Pinturicchio, Michelangelo’s predecessors, and serves as a glorious homage to Renaissance art.

The enormous St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) dominates Vatican City, and its dome can be seen from all over Rome. Built on the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion, it’s the epicenter of the Catholic Church and sits atop many papal tombs. The lavishly adorned basilica is the largest church in Italy, and it’s also a museum full of priceless works of art—including Michelangelo’s sublime Pietà and Bernini’s bronze baldachin on the high altar.

Vatican City may be the smallest independent state on Earth, but it’s a religious and cultural superpower. Home to some of the world’s greatest artistic and architectural marvels—namely St. Peter’s Basilica and its dome designed by Michelangelo, St. Peter’s Square, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums—it’s also the headquarters of the Catholic Church. Surrounded by Italy’s capital on all sides, Vatican City is one of the top attractions in Rome.

The heart of Vatican City is St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro), a grand plaza providing visitors with a magnificent approach to St. Peter’s Basilica. Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century, the semicircular Piazza San Pietro is lined by hundreds of statue-topped columns. Walk through on your way to the Vatican Museums or while taking an obligatory photo of St. Peter’s dome.

St. Peter’s Dome (Cupola di San Pietro), one of Italy’s most famous monuments, doesn’t technically stand on Italian soil—it sits atop St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, surrounded by Rome on all sides. Michelangelo’s architectural masterpiece is a symbol for Catholics around the globe and, as the highest dome in the world, offers spectacular views across St. Peter’s Square and the Roman cityscape. Reachable by elevator and stairs, this sky-high perch is a highlight of any Vatican visit.

Among the many masterpieces inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo’s majestic and moving La Pietà is perhaps the crown jewel. The Renaissance artist carved the statue from a single block of Carrara marble in the late 1490s, and it is the only work he signed. This life-size depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Christ blends classical ideals of beauty with startling naturalism and is one of the world’s most important works of art.

The Vatican Gardens are spread across an impressive 57 acres (23 hectares)—more than half the entire area of the city-state—and feature statues, a labyrinth, and buildings dating as far back as the sixth century. These private gardens were long closed to the public, but they can now be visited as part of an official tour covering Bramante’s 16th-century Renaissance design.

The monumental bronze canopy of St. Peter’s Baldachin, set beneath Michelangelo’s dome, is a centerpiece of St. Peter’s Basilica. Bernini’s stunning masterpiece soars as high as a 9-story building above the basilica’s high altar, protecting the spot where St. Peter is said to be buried. A unique example of the baroque style, this 17th-century baldachin combines sculpture and architecture, marking an important evolution in church design.