A holiday to Rome meant one thing: of course, we had to pay a visit to the world’s smallest sovereign state! Accessible via metro and fairly easy to navigate, we hopped on the red line at Repubblica in the direction of Battistini and exited at Ottaviano, the closest metro stop to the Vatican and the easiest way to arrive. We wandered through the streets and through the walls into the Vatican, and it is just as beautiful as I imagined it would be. We paid 17 euros for an ‘Ordinario’ ticket, giving us access to the Musei Vaticani and to most of the monuments, including the Sistine Chapel, which was extremely reasonable! One piece of advice I would give to any one who is wishing to visit the Vatican: wear comfortable shoes! There is a lot of walking, so much to see, and it takes a long time to wander through each section, so comfy shoes are an absolute essential. The museum was of course hugely interesting, with Roman sculpture and gorgeous artwork alike, but the star of the show really was the Sistine Chapel. There is a lot to see and do before you arrive at the Sistine Chapel thus anticipation takes over as you turn another corner and say ‘are we at the Chapel yet?,’ but it is safe to say that it did not disappoint. Michelangelo’s work is truly breathtaking and whilst the chapel was full with tourists, it was largely silent in awe of the intricacies of each and every painting that adorned the walls and the ceiling. I unfortunately didn’t manage to take too many photographs, as in a large portion of the Vatican, it is prohibited (to preserve artwork, presumably). We visited the Vatican City in the early afternoon, and in hindsight if I could visit again, I would arrive in the morning. There was a tonne to see and do, and so it is worth accounting for this when planning your trip. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to visit the Basilica as we left at dusk and the queues were extremely long. However, the sun setting made for some beautiful photos. After leaving the Vatican, we went in search of a delicious evening meal, and as this was one of our last days in Italy, we wanted it to be as Italian as we could find! We stumbled across Marcantonio Ristorante and Pizzeria, about two minutes walk from the Vatican, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. The pasta was incredible, and (as mentioned in my Rome travel post!) I couldn’t get enough of their Caprese salads. If you’re ever around the Vatican, make sure to pay them a visit! Ending our day with a pizza and a view of the Vatican City was a great way to round off the loveliest trip to Italy. I can’t wait to go back (…very very soon!)
Grace Hickson 