Day 2 – The Vatican City

My first day was cloudy and cool, but at least dry. My authentic little Roman hotel room had a Lovely view across the city and the windows could be opened wide to allow for some fresh air to be let in and good access for taking photographs – I even had a group of green parakeets that were living in a nearby tree and were always flying around and sitting just in front of the window.

After a leisurely breakfast, it was time to set off towards the Vatican City for my tour of the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica and Vatican gardens. The Vatican City is actually the smallest independent state that is the centre of the Roman catholic church and home to the Pope. It is also worth mentioning here that the Vatican has a strict dress code in that shoulders and knees should be covered before entering – not something I needed to worry about in January, though!

The tour took around three hours to complete and began with the Vatican museums which included a variety of art and architecture, including medieval tapestries and the Gallery of Maps. The museums are rich in history and consist of 24 rooms with over 70,000 works of art that include pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

The final stop along the route is the Sistine Chapel. Both history and art converge here to produce a truly unforgettable experience. The chapel ceiling displays fine works of Michelangelo with scenes from The Book of Genesis. The four Raphael rooms are also stunning. The Gallery of Maps is an impressive and unique mix of cartography and art.

You can take as many photos inside as you like, but not inside the Sistine Chapel. Earpieces were provided on the tour to make hearing all the information much clearer, but my earpiece kept annoyingly falling off! It is best to book a tour in advance to avoid any disappointment on the day, and you will then get skip-the-line tickets. I was surprised at how busy it was in January, so I can only imagine the crowds in the hot summer months!

While you are here, if you want to do something unique, you can send a postcard through the Vatican City’s postal system. You can buy postcards and stamps at one of the city’s main post offices. If you have any philatelist friends, then you may wish to purchase some stamps for them as apparently these stamps are much sought after.

St Peter’s Basilica with the famous St Peter’s Chair is stunning and not to be missed. You are also welcome to take mass in here, regardless of your faith. During the tour it started to rain, but fortunately most of the heavier rain occurred whilst I was indoors – my time out in the gardens fortunately remained dry.

It was quite a long tour, but very enjoyable and insightful, and with plenty of time spent on your feet, comfortable footwear is a must. I would recommend doing this trip if you have enough time on your trip to Rome. I was also in desperate need for a coffee, so I went in search of a little coffee shop after the tour ended to get a nice sit down and some refreshments.

After my little break, I walked back to my hotel along by the Tiber River that runs directly through the centre of Rome and passes famous landmarks like the Vatican. There were lots of cute little souvenir stalls by the river that stretched right along one side. The rain had annoyingly begun to get steadier but wasn’t too heavy and an umbrella did the job. I walked back taking in the Spanish Steps.

It had been a very tiring first day in Rome, and the rain was getting heavier, so I decided to spend the evening chilling in the hotel with a lovely pizza before the next day’s activities.