A city trip to Rome is incomplete, if you have not at least seen St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum with the wonderful Sistine Chapel. And there is so much more to discover in the Vatican City that a weekend in Rome is barely enough to explore all the sights. In the first place are
- St. Peter's Square,
- St. Peter's Basilica and
- Vatican Museum, in particular the Sistine Chapel.
The Vatican City is a politically autonomous state with its own territory, citizens and state power, with the territory enclosing only a size of almost 0.5 square kilometers, located in the center of Rome. This makes it the smallest sovereign state in the world, an enclave in Rome, so to speak. The Vatican City, however, was not always so small. In the mid-19th century, the Vatican City still saw an area of 44,000 square kilometers, of which, however, the largest part had to be ceded to the state of Italy. As part of the Lateran treaties in 1929, the Holy See was officially granted autonomy and today's national territory, which is secured by the Swiss Guard. Today, around 500 people live and work in the small dwarf state, which has its own bank, its own post office, its own daily newspaper and even its own radio station. The Vatican issued coins and stamps are even very popular among collectors worldwide, as they appear regularly only in small editions.
What applies to most sights in Rome, unfortunately, you have to say for St. Peter's Basilica and especially for the Vatican Museum. The number of tourists is huge and, accordingly, the lines in front of the security gates are endless. Without corresponding waiting times (minimum of at least 1 hour), entry is hardly possible. Somewhat more relaxed is the visit only in the off-season, e.g. over Christmas to Urbi et Orbi.
