Tour the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica with LivItaly Tours
No trip to Rome is complete without visiting THE VATICAN. And that means you must visit St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum to see the famous and iconic Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
If you are visiting the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, LivItaly Tours’ Vatican Early Entrance Small Group Tour is the way to go.
Each LivItaly’s tour has a maximum of six people. It always the luck of the draw who is on your tour but there were no other young people on our tour. That said, I always appreciate when others engage my daughter in conversation.
Be prepared up front for an early start and waiting, before the museum opens at 8:00 am. The tour starts at 7:30 am but we were instructed to meet outside the entrance of the Vatican Museum entrance at 7:15 AM. This will not make any teen happy but trust me it’s better to start early. Tip of the day, figure out how to get food before you start because while there is a restaurant right outside the museum, the lines are at least 30 minutes long.
The VATICAN MUSEUM
Before you get to the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s masterpiece, our guide took us through several rooms, courtyards and major hallways. This why having a guide is the perfect way to see the Vatican Museum as she pointed out key sculptures, archaeological objects and priceless art pieces that were collected by the Popes throughout several centuries.
One of the many reasons for taking the LivItaly Early tour is that you pretty much get areas of the museum to yourself like the Gallery of Maps.
Raphael Rooms
Our guide gave us the option to visit the Raphael Room even if it was a bit of walk and we all agreed why not. And I am happy we did.
The Raphael Rooms were painted by Raphael, one of the major Renaissance masters who painted these frescoes from 1508 to 1520. The rooms were Pope Julius II’s private apartments. The photos in the post are from the most well known room, ” Stanza della Segnatura (Roo of Signature.)”
Key Facts: Raphael used Leonard Da Vinci to portray Plato as well as Michelangelo as the figure on the bottom part of the steps and Raphael painted himself in the righthand corner.
My favorite was the ceiling which is stunning and the colors are still so vivid. I would say this is one of my favorite pieces in the museum.
The Sistine Chapel
No photos, sorry, as they are not allowed. Prior to entering the room, our guide explained each section of the through each part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Last Judgement which takes up one of the walls. This was extremely helpful and offered a lot of context to what we were about to see.
Key Facts:
The focal point is obviously the Ceiling that focuses on the “Creation of Man.” It took Michelangelo about four years from 1508-1512 to complete. What I never knew is that background behind God is shaped like a brain.
The Sistine Chapel was named after Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere.
I am always surprised that my daughter is aware of key pieces of iconic art but she knew the most famous scene of the ceiling, “The Creation of Adam.” She commented on how beautiful it was and was interested in all of the ceiling even though she is not particularly religious. We were given plenty of time to view all of the ceiling and the Last Judgement. It was great and super helpful that the guide gave us numbered detail of the ceiling after explaining it to us before we entered the room.
I have been to the Sistine Chapel several times but even twenty years later, I was in awe of how spectacular it is up close! It takes your breath away. And even though you could not take photos and I am actually glad they don’t let you, it is nice to sit on the side benches and just take it all in without having to deal with all the cameras in your face!
Again I have to mention another reason for taking the early tour is that the room was not filled to capacity. We only had to wait a couple of minutes to find a seat. And you could actually stand anywhere in the room to view the ceiling from different angles without jockeying for position.
Other Vatican Museums Highlights
As you wander through the museum, slow down and take in the marvelous tapestries in the Gallery of the Tapestries. The intricacies of the work are beyond amazing.
The Gallery of Maps or hallway of maps is another area of the museum that will take your breath away especially the ceiling. It has 40 map frescoes representing the Italian regions.
As you walk through the museum you will happen up the Modern Art wing of religious-themed paintings by Salvidor Dali, Picasso, courtyards and so much more.
And after our visit to the Vatican Museum, the tour continued onto St. Peter’s Basilica.
Tips for Visiting the Vatican Museums and St. Peters Basilica
- The Vatican museums are closed on Sundays and Catholic holidays
- Book early as LivItaly tour sizes is small and intimate.
- Dress appropriately as you will be turned away. No hats or sleeveless shirts. Ladies, your dress or skirts must cover your knees and your shoulders must be covered. found that bringing a wrap is key. And if you forget, there are plenty of vendors selling wraps the church.
- Our guide gave us the opportunity to use the restroom before we started the tour. GO!! There is no other opportunity until the tour is over.
- Eat before you go or arrive 45 minutes early to get something to eat at the restaurant directly in front of the entrance. My daughter doesn’t like granola bars so no point in bringing those along and plus she would have to scarf it down in secret away from the guards.
I recommend LivItaly tours for your visit to the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. I think we go so much more out our visit and we were able to truly appreciate and enjoy all art and architecture. And while it was a super early start, it was so worth it not to have to deal with the crowds!! Visit LivItaly.com to check out all their Italy tours.
Learn more about our trip through St. Peter’s Basilica courtesy of LivItaly tours.
Disclosure: NYC Single Mom was provided with complimentary entrance courtesy of LivItaly Tours All opinions are 100% my own.
