Vatican Museums
Pius Clementine Museum (Apoxyomenos, Octagonal Courtyard, Belvedere Apollo, Laocoon, Room of the Animals, Room of Muses, Belvedere Torso, Greek-cross Room) Pinecone Courtyard, Chiaramonti Gallery, Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of the Tapestries, Gallery of the Maps.
Admission Not Included
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (pontiff from 1471 to 1484) who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. The 15th century decoration of the walls includes: the false drapes, the Stories of Moses, the Stories of Christ and the portraits of the Popes. It was executed by a team of painters made up initially of Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli. On the Ceiling Pier Matteo d'Amelia painted a starry sky. The work on the frescoes began in 1481 and was concluded in 1482. This is also the date of the following works in marble: the screen, the choir stalls (where the choristers took their places), and the pontifical coat of arms over the entrance door.
Admission Not Included
St. Peter's Square
Designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667, during the pontificate of Alexander VII (1655-1667), the square is made up of two different areas. The first has a trapezoid shape, marked off by two straight closed and convergent arms on each side of the church square. The second area is elliptical and is surrounded by the two hemicycles of a four-row colonnade, because, as Bernini said, “considering that Saint Peter’s is almost the matrix of all the churches, its portico had to give an open-armed, maternal welcome to all Catholics, confirming their faith; to heretics, reconciling them with the Church; and to the infidels, enlightening them about the true faith.
Admission Not Included
St. Peter's Basilica
Saint Peter's Basilica
