Here we are in the hot, sunny, monumental city of Rome.
The “Eternal City”, the “Urbe”, as it is often called by its inhabitants, which is the Latin for “city”. Because Rome is “the city of the cities”, the largest in Italy, where you can find everything you can’t find in other Italian cities….and more!
Rome is famous abroad not only for its beautiful sunny weather but also for its great history: it was the heart of the Roman Empire, that ruled all the ancient world until its fall in 476 (after Christ).
VATICAN CITY IN ROME
But there is also another thing that makes Rome famous all around the world and the destination of many pilgrims and tourists every year. Rome is the “abode” of the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, and for this reason also known as Roman Catholic Church.
The Pope lives in the palaces by Saint Peter’s Basilica, which rises up in Vatican City State.
Vatican City State – or simply “the Vatican” – is an independent state inside the city of Rome, surrounded by a great brick wall. It’s the smallest independent state in the world, officially founded in 1929. That’s why, although it rises up in the North-West part of Rome, it is not part of Italy and has its own laws and its own leader.
The head of this small independent state is the Pope, who’s also bishop of Rome, generally elected by cardinals at the death of his predecessor.
The currently incumbent Pope is Jorge Bergoglio, elected in 2013 with the name of Francis.
INSIDE THE VATICAN
If you’re coming to Rome by car, it’s a good choice to start your trip visiting this part of the city, because it’s a little quieter and full of parking lots.
So, imaging we left our car at Via Cola di Rienzo, we start walking towards Vatican City. Via Cola di Rienzo is a very large and elegant street, with beautiful buildings and shops.
After a short walk through Piazza Risorgimento, we get to the Vatican moving along the wall all around. This path is always crowded, full of pilgrims and tourists coming from all over the world to see the Pope and visit the Vatican Museums. Pay attention, then!
After taking a look at Piazza della Città Leonina, we pass the brick wall which divides the Vatican from the rest of the city, and find ourselves in the great St.Peter’s Square, easily recognizable from the famous marble columns all around. The square is very large, and everything is so big – starting from the Vatican Obelisk brought to Rome from Egypt by Emperor Caligula – that we feel small compared to it.
At the bottom of the square we find St. Peter’s Basilica, a marvelous and absolutely gorgeous church named after the apostle Saint Peter who was the first Pope in the history of the world.
It is the only church of Vatican City and the most famous church in Rome and Italy, with its splendid façade and the well-known dome built by Michelangelo, overlooking all the city and any other roof in Rome’s panorama.
It’s not rare to see the Pope having a speech from the great church’s window, applauded by all the pilgrims gathered around St. Peter’s Square to listen to him and receive his blessing.
WHAT TO SEE INSIDE THE VATICAN
You can visit St. Peter’s Basilica everyday. The admission is free and you don’t need a passport to get from Rome to Vatican City. Inside the church you can admire some of the most important and outstanding masterpieces of the world:
- Peter’s Baldachin, designed by the Italian architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini
- The Holy Door or Porta Sancta
- Michelangelo’s Pieta
- And Raphael’s Transfiguration
…And in the crypt of the church there are the graves of all the Popes.
Don’t forget to visit the Vatican Museums, where, for a little fee, you can admire the most beautiful works by Raphael and Michelangelo, two of the greatest artists of Italian Renaissance.
CASTEL SANT’ANGELO IN ROME
We leave St. Peter’s Square to get to another extremely famous monument of Rome: Castel Sant’Angelo, so called because of the statue of the angel on the roof of the building.
The shortest way to reach it, is passing through Via della Conciliazione, a historical street that gives us the possibility to leave the Vatican City State and get back to Italian districts. From Piazza Pio XII, which is right before St. Peter’s Square, we can already see the great building standing right in front of Saint Peter’s.
Castel Sant’Angelo (or Mole Adriana) is an ancient monument built during the Roman Age. It was meant to be the shrine and mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian and his family. But later Emperor Honorius transformed it into a fort to defend his dominions in case of attack.
The angel on the roof was erected in memory of Pope Gregory I, who here, during a solemn procession in 590, had the vision of Archangel Michael predicting the end of the plague.
Nowadays the castle is considered by the Romans one of the most beautiful parts of the city, also because of its location: the building lies near the river Tiber, whose placid waters slowly flow under Rome’s bright sunshine. Around the building you can often find many market stalls, peddlers and street artists.
THE JUSTICE PALACE OF ROME
Further on, along Lungotevere Castello, there are some shopping stands where you can buy souvenirs beneath the shadow of the beautiful plane trees running along the river. And if you’re not interested in shopping, you can find some benches where you can have a rest while enjoying the lovely breeze near the river.
Past Lungotevere Castello, you can admire the splendid façade of the Justice Palace. Its back side, surrounded by palm trees, is in Piazza Cavour near the Waldesian Church in neoromanic style.
Don’t forget to look at the other pages of this section to read about other important attractions of the city of Rome!
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