Must-see attractions in Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

  • Rome Lazio Italy. The Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Raphael rooms frescoes

    Vatican Museums

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art…

  • Basilica di San Pietro. Rome. Italy.
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    St Peter's Basilica

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    In the city of outstanding churches, none can hold a candle to St Peter's, Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica. Built atop a 4th…

  • Castel Sant Angelo or Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.

    Castel Sant'Angelo

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    This castle is an instantly recognizable landmark now home to the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo.

  • View of Vatican gardens on a sunny summer day. The square garden with green lawn, benches and trees

    Vatican Gardens

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    The Vatican stands atop the low-lying Vatican hill, just west of the Tiber. Much of its 109 acres are covered by the perfectly manicured Vatican Gardens.

  • The beautiful art on the ceilings of Sistine Chapel, Vatican Rome...This a HDR of 3 shots, corrected for perspective and cropped to get a symmetrical look...Press H+M for best view

    Sistine Chapel

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    The Sistine Chapel is the one part of the Vatican Museums that everyone wants to see, and for good reason.

  • Colonnades at Piazza San Pietro leading to St Peter's Basilica.

    St Peter's Square

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Overlooked by St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican’s central square was laid out between 1656 and 1667 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Seen from above,…

  • 500px Photo ID: 87791381 - Vue de la basilique Saint-Pierre depuis le pont Umberto I sur le Tibre, prise en avril 2014...Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano, Roma.

    St Peter’s Basilica Dome

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Entry to the dome is to the far right of the basilica's main portico, where you also buy your ticket. A small lift can take you halfway up, but it’s still…

  • Pont Sant'Angelo.

    Ponte Sant’Angelo

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    The emperor Hadrian built the Ponte Sant’Angelo in 136 to provide an approach to his mausoleum, but it was Bernini who brought it to life, designing the…

  • Tomb of St Peter

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Excavations beneath St Peter's Basilica have uncovered part of the original church and a necropolis with what is held to be the Tomb of St Peter. In 1942,…

  • Museo Storico Artistico

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Accessed from the left nave of St Peter's Basilica, the Museo Storico Artistico (Tesoro; Treasury) sparkles with sacred relics and priceless artefacts,…

  • Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Sassia

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Originally an 8th-century lodging for Saxon pilgrims, this ancient hospital complex was established by Pope Innocent III in the late 12th century. Three…

  • Vatican Grottoes

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Extending beneath St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Grottoes contain the tombs and sarcophagi of numerous popes, as well as several huge columns from the…

  • Necropoli Via Triumphalis

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    Not to be confused with the Tomb of St Peter, this ancient Roman cemetery extends beneath the Vatican hill. Guided tours, which must be pre-booked, take…

  • Palazzo di Giustizia

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    This vast landmark palazzo, built to a neo-baroque style between 1888 and 1911, is the seat of Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation.