Skip the Line Vatican Museums Private Tour

With approximately 4 miles of halls and corridors to choose from, at the discretion of our guide and your preferences, we will be selective in the exhibitions we see. We often begin in the chronologically arranged picture gallery known as the Pinacoteca. The broad collection of paintings and other artworks included here provide an excellent overview of art history from the late medieval to high Renaissance periods. From here, we’ll traverse the halls of the Vatican palaces, with the option to visit the Museo Gregoriano Egizio (Egyptian Museum). Here you can see pieces taken from Egypt during the Roman times, a sarcophagi from around 1000BCE and a mummy are on display.  Another option is the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco which contains artifacts unearthed in Etruscan tombs and Roman antiquities. You will see a range of impressive craftsmanship and artistic endeavors which span the Iron Age to the fifth century BC.

 

After seeing some of the highlights of the Vatican Museum, we will make our way to the famous Sistine Chapel. We’ll discuss the cultural, religious, and artistic climate that influenced the various artists who worked on the numerous frescos. You will hear about the tenuous relationship between Michelangelo and the then cardinal Carafa as well as the techniques, materials, and processes that brought his incredible accomplishments to life. 

 

At the conclusion of this tour, you would have seen some of the highlights from the Vatican Museums' world-class collection where our expert tour guide would have contextualized these masterpieces with stories of the cultural, political, economic, and religious climates in which they evolved. You will have experienced the majesty of the world-famous Sistine chapel and have an appreciation for the immense skill and effort involved in bringing this artwork to life.