Vatican City

Much to my mother’s chagrin, my visit to the Vatican did not result in any sort of religious conversion on my part. The art was definitely worth seeing, however – lots of violence and nudity, of course. ;)

I held my grandfather’s hand as he teared up watching Pope John Paul speak. We went for his 75th birthday.

I must admit I had reservations about visiting the Vatican, but after I had visited, I have no regrets at all. Religious or not, it’s definitely worth visiting.

I’m no history or art geek, but I was awed and overwhelmed nonetheless. The museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica are incredible, and really puts in perspective just how much power the Church wields and had wielded in history. I was kind of appalled at how much talking was going on despite repeated orders not to talk in the Sistine Chapel…you’d think people would have more respect even if they weren’t Catholic or even religious at all.

I’m not sure if I’ll visit again, but I’d recommend it to others.

The first day I went, I showed up after 1pm, and the crowds weren’t too bad. The second day, I tried to get there early (wanted to get a guided tour because it was so incredibly cool), and the line was around the block and down the street. I gave up!
Anyway, there is so much to see at the Musei Vatican that it’s best to pick and choose what you really want to see the most. What I most enjoyed was the Sistine Chapel and they modern art collection. I’m a bit of an art geek, and there were plenty of artists that I had never even heard of that really knocked my socks off.
And the Sistine Chapel? What can I say? It’s even more incredible than I imagined it would be.

i first visited rome and vatican city at age 16. seeing the ceiling of the sistine chapel brought me to tears. they had just finished an extensive cleaning and renovation immediately prior to my arrival. having only seen photos of the paintings taken before the maintenance, covered in centuries of soot and dust, i was in awe of what i now witnessed. when i walked in and craned my head back to take in its magnificence i had to stop and collect myself. the colors were so vibrant and the scenes so familiar yet so striking. i never imagined anything to be so beautiful. i’m lucky to have been able to travel to vatican city were, despite my young age, i was able to just be still and at peace in such a wonderful place.

I don’t believe in organized religion, and do not consider myself a Catholic (or part of any other Christian religion for that matter), but I definitely want to visit the Vatican City.

From a purely artistic/cultural point of view I’m sure it would be astounding, and I can’t even begin to imagine the people-watching. Hope to get there someday soon.

It’s been 15 years since i’ve been & i plan to the next year or two … all i have are the vague memories from a jam-packed family holiday …

The Vatican is simply amazing! I’m completely non-religious and it is still one of my favorite places I’ve ever been.
But you must remember to wear comfortable shoes with good support! You’ll be walking for hours to get through the whole museum on marble, much of the time. I wore comfy sandals once when I went and by the time I got 3/4 of the way through, every step was sending shock waves of pain up to my knees and back (and it’s not an age thing…I was 17).

That’s a really good way to ruin the experience. Also, keep in mind that there are no trash cans until you get out. I ended up with the same piece of gum in my mouth for the entire tour—it was pretty gross.

Lastly, try to enjoy the art as much as you can. It can be really hard, especially in the summer, because you’re literally shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers all shuffling forward but try to block out the hordes of people so you can really appreciate where you are and what you’re seeing.

Wow. That’s a church.

The Vatican is the smallest independent sovereign entity in the world. It is also on my “must see” list. Savour the Museum and the Gardens. If I was a Swiss citizen, I’d have certainly tried to join the Swiss Guard… looks like a great job.