Roma - Ziua 1

Rome
My Rome 7 Days Family Itinerary
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Day 1, Thursday, May 16 2019
09:00 Vatican Gardens
Within Vatican City featuring sculptures, fountains and a
wide variety of plants
10:10 Vatican Museums

The museums of Vatican City holding work by de Vinci,
Titian, Bernini, Raphael and others
12:20 The Sistine Chapel

Chapel within Vatican City famed for its frescos by
Michelangelo
13:55 St. Peter's Basilica

Michelangelo, Maderno, Bramante and Bernini created this
massive Renaissance church
15:30 St. Peter's Square

Bernini's expansive plaza in front of St. Peter's Basilica in
Vatican City
15:55 Castel Sant'Angelo

Hadrian Mausoleum is a circular tower from 139AD which
served many purposes through history
09:00 Vatican Gardens
Visit Duration: 1 hour
Vatican City is a walled sovereign city-state within Rome it covers 110 acres it is the headquarters of the
Catholic Church and the home of the Pope. The Vatican Gardens, as the name suggests, are gardens within
this walled enclave. The gardens are located in the south and northeastern areas of the city and cover about
50 acres, almost half of the Vatican grounds. Although the gardens are closed to the general public it is
possible to take a guided tour. Those who want to see areas of the Vatican which most visitors don't get to
see or people who are interested in the foliage itself will find this a fascinating tour.
Nicholas II planted the beginnings of the Vatican Gardens when he introduced an orchard, a garden and a
lawn. This event was recorded in several places including a plaque which can be seen in the Palazzo dei
Conservatori on Capitoline Hill. The gardens were originally planted around 1279 and since then have offered
a place for contemplation and meditation for the popes. Image By: Zaldy Camerino
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/donblimey/
The gardens contain vegetation from around the world including Australia, Japan and China. Together with
the exotic plants are those native to Rome and Italy. In the gardens are neatly mowed lawns, paths, seating
Opening Hours: 9am-6pm (only guided tours)
areas, pieces of art work, grottoes and water features. Among the trees in Vatican Gardens are pine, cypress,
chestnut and palms. From the gardens there are amazing views of St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City.
Note: The Vatican Gardens can be visited only through guided tours organized by the Guided Tours Office of
the Vatican Museums. Tours depart from the Vatican Museums. Entrance to the Gardens is denied to
persons not properly dressed.
10:10 Vatican Museums
Visit Duration: 2 hours
0.7 KM, 11 minutes walking from Vatican Gardens
The Vatican Museums are within Vatican City and comprise several exhibitions housed within several museum galleries. The
collection began with the purchase by Pope Julius II of the statue of Laocoon and his Sons in 1506. Although the collections
could have been kept within the Vatican walls as the Pope's private collections, lucky for mankind, the popes chose from the
very beginning to make the art available to the general public. This was done to promote knowledge of art, history and culture.
In addition to having access to some of the world's finest art work the public also get to see inside the palaces of the Vatican
which house the collections.
Following the first statue the collection rapidly grew with each pope in succession adding to the collection. Pope Julius II's first
statues are housed in the Cortile Ottagono. Pope Clement XIV (1769-1774) and Pope Pius VI (1775-1799) added works kept in
the Pio-Clementine Museum. Pius VII (1800-1823) added Classic Antiquities and expanded the museum to include the
Chiaromonti Museum and the Braccio Nuovo Gallery. The Epigraphic Collection was also added at this point and is on show in Image By: xiquinhosilva
the Lapidary Gallery. George XVI added the Etruscan (1837) and Egyptian (1839) Museums. In 1854 the Lateran Profane Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xiquinho/
Museum was expanded and in 1854 the Pio-Christian Museum joined the immense museum complex. Saint Pius X added the
Hebrew Lapidary in 1910 which displays ancient Hebrew inscriptions from Roman cemeteries. Also within the museum complex
is the Gallery of Tapestries; Gallery of Mapsthe Sobieski Room; the Borgia Apartment; the Vatican Pinacoteca; the Phone Number: 06-69883333
Missionary-Ethnological Museum; Room of the Immaculate Conception; Raphael Stanze and the Loggia; Chapel of Nicholas V Admission: Adult €17, Child €8
and the Sistine Chapel featuring Michelangelo's iconic ceiling painting of God giving life to Adam as they touch fingers. Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
Web:
Some recent additions to the museums include the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Religious Art in 1973 which is on http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
show in the Borgia Apartment; the Vatican Historical Museum (1973) and the Carriage and Automobile Museum. The above list
is only part of the endless Vatican Museums collections and so visitors need to plan their visit very carefully so that they can see
all the pieces which interest them. The Vatican Museums have various routes designed to take in the museum highlights in a
certain amount of time. You could take a 2 hour guided tour of the highlights or spend about 6 hours taking in as much as you
possible. Take into consideration that the museums cover over 14.5km.
The must-see highlights not to miss are the Laocoon; Caravaggio's Deposition; Raphael's Transfiguration; Aldobrandini
Marriage; The Good Shepherd; Belvedere Torso; work by Raphael; Apollo Belvedere; da Vinci's St. Jerome and of course the
breathtaking Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.
During several months of the year the museums are open for Visitors on Friday evenings providing a wonderful. It's worth
checking the Vatican website and purchasing tickets for this in advance.
12:20 The Sistine Chapel
Visit Duration: 1 hour, 30 mins
0.7 KM, 10 minutes walking from Vatican Museums
The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums and is named after Pope Sixtus IV (pope from 1471 to
1484). He ordered the restoration of the old Cappella Magna which was carried out by an illustrious list of
artists including Botticelli, Perugino and Domenico Ghirlandaio. The chapel was inaugurated in 1483 as Our
Lady of the Assumption. Julius II della Rovere (pope from 1503-1513) ordered the refinement and
redecoration of the chapel decoration and employed Michelangelo for the job. In 1512 the work was
complete and the space was inaugurated as the Sistine Chapel. Later in 1533 Michelangelo was asked by
Clement VII to paint the Last Judgment on the altar wall replacing the 15 th century frescoes. In the 16 th
century the entrance wall frescoes were painted again, this time by Hendrik van den Broeck and da Lecce.
More recently in 1979 and 1999 the chapel frescoes were restored.
Each surface of the chapel is covered with exquisite art, the Last Judgment is painted on the wall opposite the
entrance; the story of Christ is featured on the North Wall and the stories of Moses on the South Wall. Phone Number: 06-69883333 Admission
However the main painting which visitors come to see is the ceiling fresco by Michelangelo. (including the Vatican Museums): Adult €16, Child
€8
Michelangelo was originally commissioned to paint 12 apostles and ornamental motifs however he was not Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm
too enamored with this idea and eventually was given a free hand to plan the ceiling painting as he pleased. Web: http://www.vaticanlibrary.va
Transportation:
He constructed a scaffold of his own invention and painted the masterpiece while lying on his back. He
Metro: Cipro-Musei Vaticani
painted 9 important events from the Book of Genesis down the center of the ceiling, the most famous being
God giving Adam life with the touching of their two finger tips. Around the outer edge of the central scenes are
paintings of the 12 prophets and Sibyls. In the four corners of the ceiling are scenes from the miraculous
salvation of the people of Israel.
The chapel is used for mass and other services throughout the year and there is a permanent choir, the
Sistine Chapel Choir. But the space's most important function is as the Papal Conclave. This is where the
Popes are elected in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. A chimney is erected from the chapel leading up
to the roof and with the use of different colored smoke a signal is made when a new Pope has been chosen.
Although the cardinals no longer camp out in the chapel while they come to a discussion, the chapel is still
used as the venue for the voting for the new Pope.
13:55 St. Peter's Basilica / St Peter’s
0.4 KM, 6 minutes walking from The Sistine Chapel
St Peter's Basilica is perhaps the holiest and most important church in Christendom, located within Vatican
City on Vatican Hill; it is the heart of the Catholic Church. The location has long been considered holy as the
apostle Saint Peter is believed to have been buried here in 64AD. Peter is considered to have been the first
Pope and so its place in Vatican City is fitting. A place of worship was first established on this site in
c.320AD, in the 15 th century, the structure was enlarged and improved with the help of Leon Battista Alberti
and Bernardo Rossellino. A new structure was created here under Bramante in 1506, and was continued by
Rafael who took over the task. Rafael was followed by Baldassarre Peruzzi and later Michelangelo. Maderno
was responsible for the stunning façade and finally the Basilica was consecrated in 1626. Bernini worked on
the church for 20 years and was responsible for much of the beautiful interior furnishing in the 1600s.
The basilica Latin Cross floor plan has a 186 meter long Nave with 4 aisles and the ceiling is 46 meters high.
There is a 136 meter high dome (thanks to Michelangelo) which is 42 meters in diameter. Visitors can climb Address: Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli, 4/a,
the 491 steps to get breathtaking views from the top. The basilica's façade is 114 meters wide and 47 meters 00184 Rome
Phone Number: 06-69881662
high with a triple arched portico leading into the atrium which has a central fountain. In total the Basilica
Admission: Free
covers 22,000m² and can accommodate 20,000 worshipers. Visitors to the holy Basilica approach the
Opening Hours: Apr-Sep 7am-7pm, Oct-Mar
building through the enormous St. Peters Square created by Bernini. St. Peter's is a major Catholic
7am-6pm
pilgrimage site and Christians arriving here begin their visit by kissing the big toe of Arnolfo da Cambio's
brass statue of St. Peter on the right side of the main altar.
Within the church there are the angelic faces of 40 types of cherubs created in stone, mosaic and metal. The
statues of 39 saints, the founders of religious congregations, appear along the sides of the Nave and across
the Transept. In all there are 45 altars, 11 chapels and 10,000m² of mosaics as well as beautiful marble
floors. Among the valuable pieces of Renaissance and Baroque art in the Basilica is Michelangelo's Pieta in
the first chapel on the right. Other stunning works of art in St. Peters are the bronze baldachin above the
papal altar and the confession (burial crypt) of St. Peter. St. Peter's tomb is one of 100 tombs within the
church; they include 91 popes, kings and queens.
15:30 St. Peter's Square / Piazza San Pietro
Visit Duration: 15 mins
0.2 KM, 3 minutes walking from St. Peter's Basilica
The expansive St. Peter's Square is located within Vatican City in front of St. Peter's Basilica. In the 1600s
the plaza was designed by Bernini who also had a hand in designing the adjacent basilica. His design was
limited by the constraints of surrounding structures but he managed to create a trapezoid shaped plaza of
grand proportions.
The elliptical shaped open area of the square is surrounded by 284 Tuscan-style Doric colonnades, in 4 rows;
the columns are 13 meters high. The enormous scale of the square and its surrounding columns was
intended to create awe in the worshipers who gather here to receive the Pope's blessing from the church or
Vatican Palace where he often appears to address the crowds. The square is paved in cobbled stones
divided up only by radiating lines created from limestone and zodiac signs so that the obelisks can be used as Image By: Nikita
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/malfet/
a giant sun dial. A red porphyry stone on the paving marks where Pope John Paul II was shot in 1981.
An ancient Egyptian obelisk stands at the plaza center, Bernini's granite fountain and a fountain designed by
Address: Piazza San Pietro, Rome
Carlo Maderno flank the obelisk in the papal courtyard. Visitors enter the square through the Ponte
Sant'Angelo along the via della Conciliazione. St. Peter's Square is a masterpiece in architecture and balance
which inspires a feeling of reverence and spiritual peace.
15:55 Castel Sant'Angelo
0.8 KM, 11 minutes walking from St. Peter's Square
The Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as The Hadrian Mausoleum, was constructed 130AD-139AD on the edge of the River Tiber
by Emperor Hadrian for himself, his family and his successors interment. The mausoleum has a cylindrical colonnaded drum, 64
meters in diameter, on top of an 89 meter wide square base which was covered with lush planted gardens and trees. Situated
on the right bank of the river, the Ponte Sant'Angelo connects it with the rest of the city.
Over the years the function and appearance of the Castel Sant'Angelo changed. In the middle Ages additional towers and
fortified walls were constructed. It became an impenetrable defensive bastion during the barbaric invasions, and was
incorporated into the city walls (270-275AD), protecting the northern entrance of Rome. Most of the tombs and precious
decoration were destroyed when the structure became a fortress in 401 and the royal ashes are thought to have been lost
during the Alaric sacking of Rome.
Image By: Emanuele Longo
For the protection of the papal community a secret, fortified passage way, Passetto di Borgo, was constructed (14 th century), Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/em4nu/
connecting the Vatican to the Castel Sant'Angelo. During the Renaissance a treasury room was located in the center of the
structure to keep the pope's valuables safe. The structure became a storage space for food, water and supplies to be used in
the event of an emergency. There was even a granary and mill incorporated into the fortified structure. Address: Lungotevere Castello, 50, 00186 Rome
Phone Number: 06-6819111
The mausoleum was used as a brutal prison where prisoners were tortured and starved. At one time executions were carried Admission: €14
out in the inner courtyard. Famous inmates included Benvenuto Cellini, Cagliostro and Giordana Bruno. Opening Hours: Apr-Sept. 9am-7pm, Oct-Mar
9am-2pm
Originally a statue of the Emperor riding a chariot like the sun god, would have stood on the central tower this was replaced
Web: www.castelsantangelo.com
later by a statue of an angel, hence the name of the castle. Today an 18 th century bronze statue of the Archangel St. Michael
Metro: Ottaviano-San Pietro, and then a long
has replaced the original marble angel and adorns the mausoleum in memory of a plague which raged through Rome in 590AD
stroll.
only to end when an apparition of an angel appeared above the mausoleum.
Bus: 23, 34, 40, or 271
When the Italian State was established the fortress was used to house soldiers and today the much loved iconic structure has
been restored and recreated. It is visited by tourists who come to see the National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo. Visitors
approach the structure by following a 400 foot long spiral ramp. Visitors can see the beautiful rooms used by the pontiffs with
delicate frescoes and on lower floors they can see the prisons and torture chamber.

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Rome

My Rome 7 Days Family Itinerary

10:10 Vatican Museums

12:20 The Sistine Chapel

13:55 St. Peter's Basilica

15:30 St. Peter's Square

15:55 Castel Sant'Angelo

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