Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum Tour:
Vatican Museums
LENGTH THREE HOURS
SEE ALSO VATICAN MUSEUMS (
CLICK HERE
)
Follow this three-hour tour to see the museums' greatest hits, culminating in the Sistine Chapel.
Once you've passed through the entrance complex, head up the escalator. At the top, nip out to the
terrace for views over St Peter's dome and the Vatican Gardens. Re-enter and go into the
Cortile
della Pigna
, named after the huge Augustan-era bronze pine cone. Cross the courtyard and enter the
long corridor that is the
Museo Chiaramonti
. Continue left, up the stairs, to the Museo Pio-Cle-
mentino, home of the Vatican's finest classical statuary. Follow the flow of people through to the
Cortile Ottagono
(Octagonal Courtyard), where you'll find the celebrated masterpieces, the
Laocoön
and
Apollo Belvedere
.
Continue on through a series of rooms, each more impressive than the last - the
Sala degli An-
imali
(Animal Room), the
Sala delle Muse
(Room of the Muses), famous for the
Torso Belvedere
, and the
Sala Rotonda
(Round Room) centred on a vast red basin. From the
Sala Croce
Greca
(Greek Cross Room), stairs lead up to the
Galleria dei Candelabri
(Gallery of the Cande-
labra), the first of three galleries along a lengthy corridor. Then you are funnelled through the
Gal-
leria degli Arazzi
(Tapestry Gallery) and onto the
Galleria delle Carte Geografiche
(Map
Gallery), a 120m-long hall hung with 40 huge maps.
At the end of the corridor, carry on through the
Sala Sobieski
, to the
Sala di Costantino
,
the first of the four Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms) - the others are the
Stanza d'Eliodoro
,
the
Stanza della Segnatura
, featuring Raphael's superlative
La Scuola di Atene
(The School of
Athens), and the
Stanza dell'Incendio di Borgo
. Anywhere else these magnificent frescoed
chambers would be the star attraction, but here they're the warm-up for the grand finale, the
Sistine Chapel
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Villa Borghese
& Northern Rome
This large and attractive area boasts some wonderful art galleries and museums. In the
midst of everything, the Villa Borghese park provides a welcome green haven from all the
bustle of the city centre.
