A must and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

A visit to the square and the basilica should be one of your priorities. If you want your pictures to be "free" from other tourists, go there at 8 AM. By 9 AM, busloads of tourists will start pouring in and the square will not be as "empty" as you would prefer it to be. And please don't be like me when you're in the Basilica. I missed the famous pieta by Michaelangelo. All the while I was thinking it was in the Vatican Museum. Nope! It's in the basilica. Don't miss it.

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Address: (Take the Metro) Ottaviano, Line A

This is not a must but highly recommended. There are two ways to get there. One is to take the elevator for which you have to pay EUR7. If you want to do a bit of exercise and benefit not just your body but your wallet as well, take the stairs and you will only have to pay EUR4. But this climb only takes you there halfway – that means you will only get a good close up view of the copula and its interior with its magnificent mosaic. To get to the top of the copula, you will have to climb the stairs with 320 steps. This is actually not a hard thing to do but it’s good to know a few things before you do it.

Climbing the top may not be a good idea if you are claustrophobic. But if you really want to, try it first. The entrance leading to the stairs is located on your right after the exit door. Go inside a little further until you see the narrow stairway. That is pretty much how it will be on your way up (check out the pictures) and there will be some small windows along the way.

If you’re not fit or if you’re not feeling well, think twice. Actually there is a warning sign at the entrance.

And lastly, it’s a good idea if you had your breakfast or at least you’re not hungry before you think of climbing the top. Like me, I skipped breakfast so we could get to the Vatican early. Naturally I was hungry. It was only when I was midway inside the dome that I felt the difficulty. But there was no turning back and I just have to continue.

Just remember, the way up there is a one-way traffic. I don’t know if it’s possible at all but if you decide to turn back, it will be really difficult especially if there are other visitors behind you. But should you ever do it, you will never regret it. The reward is worth it.

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Address: St. Peter's Basilica. Ottaviano, Line A (metro)

When you're up there you, will be rewarded with a breathtaking 360 degree view of Rome and of St Peter's. Of course you should know that it's a bit crowded up there but just try to squezze yourself in and you will always get your place on the front. Sometimes you also have to fall in line to get to the exit but it's not really that bad.

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The Castel Sant'Angelo was orginally commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The popes later converted the structure into a fortress (from the 14th century) where a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo connected St. Peter's Basilica and the Castle. This fortress was used a refuge by Pope Clement VII during the siege sometime in 1527. Most of the original decorations were lost due to the conversion of the structure to a military fortress. However a richly appointed apartment was built to make sure the pope has an appropriate place to stay in when a new siege occurs. Sant'Angelo was also used by the Papal state as a prison.

If you come from St Peter's Basilica, just walk to the Castle straight from the square. You will not miss the Ponte Sant'Angelo with its angel sculptures on the sides. Later in the morning the bridge will be full of street vendors and tourists so that will make your pictures a bit busy but that's fine. I didn't go inside though (as I was not really that interested) but maybe you'd like to go in.

If you're ready to leave the castle, just continue to the other side of the bridge (left bank of Tiber) and walk towards the next bridge to your left - the Ponte Umberto 1. You will get one of the prettiest photo opportunity while in Rome.

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Once you arrive at the Ponte Umberto I you will of course notice the massive and elaborately decorated Palazzo Di Giustizzia (The Hall of Justice) which houses the Supreme Court of Appeals. It was built by Guglielmo Calderini between 1888 and 1910.

But this is not the main reason why you're here. Of course you can admire the building and take a picture or two. More importantly look to your left and you will see what I am talking about (look at the picture please) - St Peter's Basilica and the dome and Ponte Sant' Angelo – perfect ingredients to make a pretty picture. Now focus and shoot!

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A visit to St Peter's Basilica or the Vatican Museums (which are 1 kilometer apart) means standing in a long line (probably because of the security check at the entrance) so it is best to visit each place in separate days if you can. But if you really want to visit The Vatican in one go, it is best that you visit the museums first before it gets too crowded and then the basilica later.

On visiting the Vatican museums, go there if you can as early as 8 or 8:15 AM. The museum opens at 8:45 but even before that, other visitors will be waiting by then. Arriving a little later than 8:45 will have you waiting for almost an hour (as in our case) so you can imagine how it will be when you arrive very late. Some areas of the museum could be too congested with tourists later in the day so that's another reason to be there early. But crowded or not, the Vatican museums never fail to amaze its visitors. It is always worth it.

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Address: Entrance at Viale Vatican right by Via Santamaura
Directions: Vatican City, Ottaviano, Line A (metro)

As you enter the Vatican Museum, you can't help but notice its magnificent ceilings with frescoes and relief sculptures all over. So as you walk further will probably think that all the ceilings have relief works on them. Well look again - and hard. Some ceilings are cleverly and masterfully painted that you will actually think it's a relief sculpture (or bas-relief) until somebody told you it's NOT. Yes it's not. The whole stretch of ceiling is just painted to fool the eye. And once you confirm that, you will appreciate it even more.

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Address: Entrance at Viale Vatican near Via Santamaura
Directions: Vatican City, Ottaviano, Line A (metro)

The Sistine Chapel is probably the most important reason for your visit. And if that's the case, go there directly once you entered the Vatican Museum. You can always go back to explore the other parts of the museum later once you had your fill of Michaelangelo's masterpiece. The Sistine Chapel is best enjoyed with a lesser crowd - another reason why you have to be at the Vatican Museum early.

For parents with kids, it is allowed to bring the stroller inside. Just be prepared to carry your child as there will be stairs along the way. And by the way you're not allowed to take pictures (or videos) inside the chapel. Well I took mine secretly that's why it's out of focus. Sometimes, being crammed among other tourists has its advantage.

A little piece of history. The Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1483 in the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. The first Mass was celebrated on August 9, 1483. The wall paintings were done by Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Luca Signorelli and others.

In 1508, Pope Julius II della Rovere commissioned Michelangelo Buonarroti to repaint the ceiling and completed the work between 1508 and 1512. The Last Judgement (over the altar) was painted between 1535 and 1541, commissioned by Pope Paul III Farnese.

Here's an interesting trivia. Over the years, the paint became darker because of the soot accumulated from the burning candles. Michelangelo being a genius and a forward-thinker probably anticipated this and so he did something really clever. He inverted a very small piece of stone from the painted ceiling. Years later when the authorities did an extensive examination to determine the state of the frescoes and the ceiling, they noticed a blank or unpainted piece of stone. Puzzled, they removed it and discovered the other side was painted. That gave them the idea of how the colors would have looked like during Michelangelo's time. And of course they restored the frescoes and preserved it back to its "pristine" state.

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Address: Vatican Museums
Directions: Metro: Ottaviano, Line A

Upon leaving the museum, don't forget to take some pictures of the spiral stairway. It makes for a beautiful photograph.

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