The Vatican Before the Crowds

The Vatican Museums hold one of the largest art collections in the world, and for most of the day they are also among the most crowded rooms in Europe. This private visit begins before the doors open to the public, when the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel can still be seen in something close to silence.

Your guide, a licensed Roman art historian, adapts the route to your interests: Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment, the classical sculpture of the Pio-Clementino, or the papal apartments. The visit ends in St. Peter's Basilica, with Bernini's baldacchino and Michelangelo's Pietà.

Meeting point near the Vatican Museums entrance, a ten-minute taxi ride from Donna Camilla Savelli. Modest dress is required: shoulders and knees covered.