Travel Tips :: Vatican

Three things I wish I’d known before I visited Vatican City:

1. Summer Clothing 
----> You are not allowed to wear anything that exposes your thighs and shoulders. Now, i did know this so I wore leggings and a light sweater. What I did not know is that there was a way around this rule. Especially during the hot summer months, we just have to wear something airy and light. Walking around in the searing heat with pants and a sleeved top can become unbearable. Based on experience, my tip would be to wear your normal summer clothing (skirt/shorts/dresses) and then bring a large light scarf/shawl which you could drape over your shoulders or wrap around your legs when entering St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum (Yes! They also check your clothing in the museum). Afterwards, you can easily roll it up and store it away in your bag. No need to sweat for the rest of the day.

2. Waiting in line
----> The queue to St. Peter’s Basilica may look daunting but it’s not half as bad as it looks. The progress was fairly quick. For the Vatican Museum, it is best not to get there before opening time. I was standing in line before it was open and the queue was ridiculously long, going down the entire one side of the museum and right around the block. By the time I came out though (around noon time), the queue was less than half than it was in the morning. Once the museum opens, people are admitted quickly and efficiently.

3. Cupola
----> You can go up to the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica. A few people I know didn’t know that this is possible. Luckily, I had the great pleasure of having a priest based in Rome take me and my companions on a private tour around the Vatican. It was like having an insider tell you about all those little secrets the public doesn’t know. He brushed up our history, told anecdotes and pointed out things to us that a regular tourist would have overlooked (like the pope’s window). He told us about the cupola. So, if you are not afraid of heights then take time to got up. You will be treated with a wonderful view of the interior of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and Rome.

If my tips helped just one person, I’m happy with that! I hope you have a wonderful time! 

Thanks for reading!

To Truly See the Vatican

Once upon a time in a place not so far away is a city state that attracts millions of visitors every year. Hoards of tourists fill its famous square and marvel at the grandness of its basilica. But then between a sojourn in Venice and the wild escapades in Rome, the foolish tourists leave this city state and forget the marvels it has to offer. When they go back home they recount stories of the Coliseum, they recall their romantic gondola ride, and they show pictures of themselves supporting the leaning tower of Pisa; the small city state already forgotten. 

   
Then one day, a newbie blogger spends days wondering which city she should feature on her blog first. She considered top destinations like Paris and London but then opted for that small city state that seems to have been neglected for far too long. 

 
She closed her eyes and tried to relive that summer day as she was rounding the corner and spotting the majestic columns of the square through an arch for the first time. She remembered walking through four rows of towering columns and being in awe. Then she saw the basilica. She thought it looked simple and small in the vast square but when she entered it she promised never to judge something from the outside. 

 
The basilica was art and art was the basilica. 

 
Faith seemed so tangible within those walls and history was speaking from every corner. In her mind’s eye she was standing again before the Pieta, she was sliding her fingers over the mosaic tiles, and she was holding the rails at the top of the cupola and looking at the country and city beyond. It was all beautiful.

 
The newbie blogger resurfaced from her reminiscing, got out her laptop and began to write. She titled the post: “To Truly See the Vatican”. 

 
You have to have a different mindset when you visit the Vatican. Don’t think fun, crazy, adventure or romance. Think culture, history, art, and faith. Think solitude, reflection, and quiet appreciation, and then you will truly see all that this city state has to offer.

Thanks for reading!