Vatican Museums, Art museum in Vatican City
The Vatican Museums are a group of art museums in Vatican City with several interconnected buildings and galleries displaying ancient sculptures, Renaissance paintings, and religious objects. The rooms spread across multiple floors and connect courtyards with long corridors filled with frescoes and marble.
A pope from the 16th century started the collection with an ancient marble group and later popes expanded it with works from across Europe. Many pieces came from Roman excavations or were purchased from noble families.
The name comes from the Latin term for papal palace and the rooms show how popes collected art over centuries. Visitors see ancient statues from Greece and Rome alongside religious works that once stood in papal gardens.
You should arrive early in the morning to avoid the largest crowds and book admission online in advance. The tour can take several hours, so comfortable shoes are recommended.
A long corridor displays hand-painted maps of Italian regions from the Renaissance on its walls. The maps were painted directly onto the plaster and show mountains, rivers, and cities with surprising accuracy for their time.
Location: Vatican City
Inception: 1506
Founders: Julius II
Official opening: 1771
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Address: Viale Vaticano 6, I-00192 Roma
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 09:00-18:00; Sunday 09:00-14:00
Phone: +390669883145
Email: musei@scv.va
Website: http://museivaticani.va
GPS coordinates: 41.90639,12.45444
Latest update: December 4, 2025 19:01
Rome preserves more than 2,000 years of architectural history within its city limits, maintaining ancient temples and amphitheaters beside Renaissance churches and Baroque piazzas. The Roman Forum displays ruins from the first century BC through the fourth century AD, including government buildings and temples that formed the administrative heart of the Roman Empire. The Pantheon demonstrates Roman engineering with its concrete dome, while the Colosseum remains the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. The city evolved through subsequent centuries as papal patronage transformed medieval Rome into a showcase of Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture. The Vatican holds significant religious and artistic collections, including the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes and Saint Peter's Basilica, the world's largest church building. Throughout the historic center, public squares like Piazza Navona preserve the footprint of ancient Roman structures while displaying Baroque fountains by Bernini and Borromini. The Trevi Fountain draws thousands of visitors daily to its 18th century facade, and the Spanish Steps connect different elevation levels of the city. Rome's neighborhoods maintain traditional Italian life around these monuments, with restaurants, shops and residences occupying buildings from various historical periods.
Rome combines ancient history with modern photography. The city presents monuments, fountains, squares and viewpoints to photographers. The Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo and Roman Forum display Roman architecture. The Vatican Museums and Piazza Navona showcase art. The Villa Borghese Gardens and Trastevere district complement the urban setting.
Italy presents architecture from two millennia, from Roman temples to Renaissance museums. The country features volcanic zones near Naples, stone dwellings in Matera, and canals in Venice. Religious structures include St. Mark's Basilica, while art museums display Renaissance collections.
Laocoön and His Sons
4.1 km
Augustus of Prima Porta
11 m
Vatican Library
186 m
Apollo Belvedere
0 m
Mater Ecclesiae Monastery
405 m
Sphere Within Sphere
73 m
Cortile del Belvedere
248 m
Bramante staircases
4 m
Gallery of Maps
248 m
Pinacoteca Vaticana
157 m
Museo Pio Clementino
21 m
Apoxyomenos Pio-Clementino
0 m
Casina Pio IV
295 m
Gregorian Tower
143 m
Museo Chiaramonti
65 m
Anima Mundi
0 m
Nile
135 m
Gregorian Egyptian Museum
14 m
Belvedere Villa (Vatican)
248 m
Museo Pio Cristiano
55 m
Gregorian Etruscan Museum
42 m
Fontana della Galera
60 m
Gregoriano Profano Museum
154 m
Via Triumphalis necropolis
147 m
Fountain of the Eagle
367 m
Paintings Gallery of the Vatican Museums
192 m
Socha svatého Petra
376 m
Fontana della Pigna
0 mReviews
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