Less than half a square kilometer is occupied by the territory of this state on the world map, but its influence on the minds and hearts of millions of Catholics is truly enormous. The Vatican is home to the Holy See and the seat of the highest spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. Every year millions of pilgrims and travelers make tours to the Vatican, who want to touch the greatest cultural values, concentrated in the territory of the world's smallest state.
History with geography
Geographically, the Vatican is located in the Italian capital on the site of a sacred place for the ancient Romans. It is here that the tomb of St. Peter is located, over which the majestic and largest of the Catholic cathedrals of the planet was erected in the 16th-17th centuries.
The modern Vatican gained the right to exist in 1929, when the Mussolini government signed the Lateran Agreements, which settled the mutual claims of Italy and the Holy See.
As a result of the agreements reached, the total length of the state border of the dwarf state is 3.2 kilometers and part of these borders can be seen by the participants of the tour to the Vatican in the form of a chain of white stones laid out on the square in front of the cathedral.
Briefly about the important
- Several airlines operate a direct flight from Moscow to the capital of Italy; the travel time is about four hours.
- There are no hotels on the territory of the Vatican and all travelers stay in the hotels of the Italian capital.
- The complex of museums on the territory of the Holy See was formed at the beginning of the 16th century and its halls display the works of the best classical masters of the Renaissance.
- The Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling paintings, like other museums in the state, are the best places to book tickets in advance. This way you can avoid standing in long lines at the box office during a tour to the Vatican. In addition, tickets purchased on the Vatican website allow access to all museums out of turn.
- You can grab a snack while sightseeing in the cafeteria at the museums, but for a more thorough meal, you will have to return to Rome.
- The Vatican Pinacoteca opened to the public in 1908. Among the main masterpieces of the museum are "St. Jerome" by Leonardo, "Transfiguration" by Raphael and the Triptych of Stefaneschi.
- During tours to the Vatican, you should adhere to moderation in dress and behavior and do not use cell phones in the premises of museums and the cathedral.
