Located within the city of Rome, near Castel Sant Angelo (Mausoleum of Hadrian), the Vatican city was established in 1929 as an independent state. It is ruled by the Pope, who also has his residence here.
You may start your Vatican tour from Saint Peter square, the very heart of the Vatican city. The present layout of the square was designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667. Have a walk under the majestic colonnades in the Doric style, having the shape of a huge embrace, and reach the obelisk in the centre of the square.

The impressive Dome of the Basilica, conceived by Michelangelo, will certainly have captured your attention, and once you get before it, be sure its sumptuous beauty will take your breath away. Enter the Basilica and admire the interior: beneath the dome is the baldachin by Bernini, the largest piece of bronze ever built, while the most important sculpture is La Pietà, depicting Jesus on the lap of Mary, an authentic masterpiece by Michelangelo.

Complete your Vatican tour at the Vatican Museums, among the largest and most popular museums across the globe, which contain a superb collection of artworks built up by the Catholic Church over the centuries.

In the 14th century the structure was converted into a castle and used as a safe house by popes. It also contained several prisons, and a most famous prisoner was Benvenuto Cellini, who managed to escape letting himself down by a rope made of his bedding.

Nowadays the Castel Sant’Angelo is house to the omonym museum. On the top of the castle is the Angel that gives the current name to the building, made in 1753 by Pierre van Verschaffelt.