7 Things You Should Know Before Visiting the Vatican

As one of Rome’s most famous and impressive travel destinations, the home of the Pope and other renowned historical artifacts and museums, many people long to visit the Vatican for these basic reasons.

But, Saint Peter’s Square, Michelangelo’s fresco at the Sistine Chapel is just the starting point of things to know when youvisit the Vatican.

Aside from these aforementioned facts about the Vatican City, there are some other interesting facts that every visitor needs to have at the back of their mind while planning their next trip to the Vatican City. They include:

1.       Vatican City is not in Italy: This is usually the most shocking information many visitors get to know about the city. For most people, the perception has always been that the Vatican is another district of Rome on a map, but the reality is that the moment you enter Vatican City, you have practically left Italy. Vatican City is around 110 acres and a population of fewer than 1,000. Vatican City is thesmallest sovereign state on the planet.
2.       The Vatican City Dress Code: Oh yes, you heard that right. The city has its specificdress code for anyone within its environs. As an independent and holy city, the city runs with its own prescribed rules of which dressing code is part of it. Every visitor is expected to dress in a certain way that is befitting to entering the holy city. This is usually because the Vatican City isn’t considered a tourist attraction as it’s home to the Pope. To ensure you can visit the city even as a tourist, you have to conform to these rules.
3.       Always a Long Queue: There’s always the presence of ticket long queues at the gate of the Vatican. This can often be a major challenge for some. To skip this challenge, make plans to pre-book your tour ticket in advance. Ways to do this can be either buying your admission ticket online before arrival, pre-book a tour guide, etc.
4.       The Historical Artifact: Of course there are many museums in the Vatican and its museum ticket is usually the longest. This is usually because there’s a lot of exciting things to witness here. In the Vatican, you’ll find the2000-year-old cemetery, an ancient graveyard where wealthy Roman families were buried.
5.       Popes Have Always Lived There: An important thing to note about the city is that Popes didn’t move there as soon as Christianity was recognized. It was first used for ceremonial purposes.
6.       Easy to See the Pope: Yes, that’s right. You can easily see the Pope if you attend any of the functions at Saint Peter’s Square, or you can see him from his window on Sundays at noon for half an hour.
7.       A Prime Destination for Scholars: While law-abiding tourists can visit, Vatican City is the Mecca for scholars and researchers.

These are some of the interesting information about the Vatican many people didn’t know until now (aside from the fact the Pope lives there), and these should help all would-be visitors to prepare better for their trip to the Holy City.