Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museum Tour
Vatican Museums
LENGTH THREE HOURS
Follow this 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-Clementino, home of the Vatican's finest classical statuary. Follow the flow of
people through to the
Cortile Ottagono
(Octagonal Courtyard), where you'll find two celebrated master-
pieces: the Laocoön and Apollo Belvedere. Continue on through a series of rooms, each more impressive than the
last - the
Sala degli Animali
(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
Galleria degli
Arazzi
(Tapestry Gallery) and onto the
Galleria delle Carte Geografiche
(Map Gallery), a 120m-long hall
hung with huge topographical 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
, 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
.
Museo Gregoriano Egizio
Founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, the Egyptian museum contains pieces taken from
Egypt in ancient Roman times. The collection is small, but there are fascinating exhibits,
including the
Trono di Rameses II,
part of a statue of the seated king, vividly painted sar-
cophagi from about 1000 BC, and a couple of macabre mummies.
Museo Chiaramonti
This museum is effectively the long corridor that runs down the lower east side of the
Belvedere Palace. Its walls are lined with thousands of statues representing everything
from immortal gods to playful cherubs and ugly Roman patricians. Near the end of the
hall, off to the right, is the
Braccio Nuovo
(New Wing), which contains a famous sculpture of
Augustus and a statue depicting the Nile as a reclining god covered by 16 babies.
