Rome & the Vatican City

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Cor

The vatican, while technically a separate country, sits smack in the middle of rome. it is on the west side of the river, and takes up a sizable portion. its open to the public 24/7, but various buildings might be closed. st. peters square is the main center where you would probably go to other locations. from the square the basilica is right there in front of you, and to the right is the entrance to the museum. there is also this amazing, hard to get into so book early online, tour that goes under st peters, that is actually an ancient roman road, with tombs etc. at the end of the tour you get to see the "bones" of st peter. the entrance to this is on the left of the basilica. you have to pass by some guards who are very scary looking and will question you about it, but just say youre going to the scavi and they will understand.

the last sunday of the month is free access to the museum, be sure to get there early because the line will be crazy long. you have to go thru security, so dont bring anything illegal...i think it opens at 10 am but getting there before then to get thru security is always a good plan.

also when in rome, go to a few of these places
campo di fiori, i lived in apt right off the square, its the only open air market left in rome, and the forno (literately "oven," but it means bakery) in the north west corner is the best in the city.
giolitti the best gelato in rome. the have amazing flavors like malaga, which is a wine grape. and try the pistachio. the address is via uffici del vicario, 40

as for getting around in rome, i rec a day pass for metro and buses (about 4 euros, spring for a week long if youre going to be here longer). the bus system in rome is one of the best ive encountered. all the stops are listed on a sign at your bus stop, so if you know where you want to go, you can find a multitude of buses that run there. you can pick one up at any tobacconist. the buses will take you anywhere and actually extend pretty far out, to places like the EUR stops on the metro, which are old fascist developments. you could easily walk around the center of rome, if i had time i would walk from termini to the campo di fiori, but the buses are just so much faster.

also be sure to try to get to some of the smaller museums, and palazzos. many of the weathly italian families we able to amass small and wonderful collections of art in their golden age. they now show these small and eclectic collections to the public, they are especially nice because they have many paintings and sculptures that are less famous and visited by tourists, but still just as beautiful.
the Capitoline museums are also a great place, they have a lot of beautiful work.
villa borghese has some of the best work by bernini, like daphne and apollo, or the rape of the sabine women. it was napoleon's sisters home so its holds a special place in roman history. you must call ahead and make reservations, they will be sold out by the time you walk up.

hmm...also go to the ancient forum, but have a guide, otherwise it will look like stacks of rubble. you can pick a person up in the actual forum who will give you a private tour, but beware, they might not be that knowledgeable and over charge. the ticket for the forum, also gets you into the palatine hill, and the Colosseum. they all usually have audio tours as well.

sorry this is waaay too long...

imacatholic2

Vatican City is completely surrounded by the larger city of Rome.

Here is the official website of the Vatican City State: http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/homepage.htm

With love in Christ.

monorailgold

Hello,

The vatican is on the west side of Rome just outside the city walls. You can easily walk there from anywhere in Rome. From the Piazza Navona it is about a 10 minute walk. There is a metro stop close by if you want to take it. If you are going to the museums you will have to wait in line. The lines can be very long in the mornings. You might end up waiting an hour in line. If you want to skip most of the lines you should go in the afternoon. The lines are much shorter then. If you are planning on going in the basilica, remember, you must wear proper attire. You must have your shoulders and knees covered, men and women, no exceptions. This is out of respect for a holy place and they will make you leave if you are not dressed properly.

You may go into the basilica and the museums without a tour. If you want to see the Papal apartments or the gardens you must arrange a tour. The vatican itself offers these tours as well as tours of the museum.

You may take pictures inside the museum unless there is a sign saying not to. Most of the time you will see signs saying "no flash". In the basilica you are free to take pictures and use flash everywhere. Just be respectful if there is a service going on in one of the side chapels.

If you visit the museums first you will be given the choice to exit or go to the basilica. If you go into the basilica you won't have to go through security again. If you see the basilica first, you must wait in the security line to get in.

As for other info on Rome, you should check out the rome pass if you are staying more than 3 days. It gives you free admission to your first 2 sites, half off all the other sites it is associated with and a 3 day transportation pass. All of this for only 20 euros. Basically, the first 2 free sites pay for the pass and you get the other stuff for free. This is a great way to see the museums and pay sites of Rome for a discounted price. Check out the website for all the details including a list of sites the are associated with.

Donna

Clare

there's a hop-on hop-off bus service that goes around Rome to all the tourist spots including the Vatican, its a pretty cheap way to get around, google it!
you can go inside the vatican but there are long lines, so allow plenty of time to get in (btw 15-30 mins in line...) because you have to go through security scanners, like at the airport. its really nice so make sure you go, just be careful of pick pockets. Oh and you can go into the post office there and send a postcard with official Vatican stamps!

ä¹‡Ð¸ÑÎ¹Â¢Ïƒ

hello!!!i'm an italian boy bu i don't live in rome.... i'm visited rome and she is very beautiful and wonderful....you can visit also fountain di trevi, piazza di spagna, piazza navona, the Colosseum. in Vatican you can visit san pietro where there are the sepulchres of pope, la cappella sistina fescod by michelangelo and the musei vaticani!!!!

musicman

the vatican is a very small independent territory in the middle of rome
so it shouldnt be very far at all unless you are staying in the outskirts

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