Dec. 8, 2024

144. Italy - Rome - Vatican City - St. Peter's Basilica: The Truth About Climbing That Dome

Show Notes
Transcript

Journey Joe gives you the real scoop on visiting St. Peter's Basilica! Get honest advice about the dome climb - including who shouldn't attempt it, discover the best times to avoid massive lines, and learn why early morning is magic. Plus, find out why those colorful Swiss Guards are way more than just photo opportunities

Tour Suggestions: vi.me/TEl9v

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Calaruga Shark Media. Hey there, fellow travelers, this is Journey

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Joe Mitchell and Travel is back, your guide to amazing

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destinations for regular folks like you and me. Today we're

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tackling what might be the most visited site in Rome,

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Vatican City. And let me tell you right up front,

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this isn't going to be your typical guide to the

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Vatican museums. Sure, we'll talk about the Sistine Chapel, but

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I want to share some real practical advice about making

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the most of your visit, including some things other guides

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might be too polite to mention. Let's start with the

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big one, Saint Peter's Batilica and its famous dome. Now,

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climbing to the top of the dome is one of

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those must do experiences in Rome, but I need to

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be completely honest with you about this. It's five hundred

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and fifty one steps if you take the stairs from

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the bottom, or three hundred twenty if you take the

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elevator to the base of the dome. And these aren't

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your normal stairs. The higher you go, the narrower and

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more winding they get. The walls literally curve inward, and

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near the top you're holding onto a rope while basically

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leaning sideways. I'm going to be very direct here because

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I wish someone had told me this before I went.

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If you're claustrophobic, have mobility issues, or are a larger person,

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you might want to skip the Dome climb. I'm not

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being unkind. The passageways get so narrow that some folks

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physically cannot fit through them. This isn't about fitness level.

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It's simple geometry. The final staircase is built between the

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inner and outer shells of the dome, so the space

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literally can't be made any bigger. But here's the good news.

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The view from the base of the dome inside the

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Basilica is still incredible, and there are other great viewpoints

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in Rome that are much more accessible now. If you

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can make the climb, absolutely do it. The view from

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the top is spectacular. You're looking down on Saint Peter's

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Square and you can see all of Rome spread out

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before you. My top tip, go first thing in the morning.

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The light is beautiful, the air is clear, and most importantly,

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it's cooler. Trust me, you don't want to make that

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climb in the midday heat. Let's talk about the Vatican museums,

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and specifically, how to actually enjoy them without losing your

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mind in the crowds. First off, and I cannot stress

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this enough, book a tour through our recommended providers. Check

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the show notes for links. Yes, you can do it

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on your own, but the place is massive and incredibly confusing.

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Plus with a tour you get to skip those infamous

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lines that can stretch for blocks. Here's something most guides

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won't tell you. You don't have to see everything. The Vatican

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museums are overwhelming. They're packed with art from floor to ceiling,

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and trying to see it all is a recipe for

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exhaustion and frustration. Are recommended tours focus on the highlights

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and the really interesting stuff without that guilty feeling that

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you're missing something. First off, forget everything you know about museums.

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This isn't like popping into the met or the Louver

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where you can just wander around. The Vatican museums are

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actually a one way route through literally miles of corridors

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and rooms. That's why having a guide is so crucial.

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They know which shortcuts to take and which less crowded

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side rooms have amazing pieces that most people rush past.

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The gallery of maps might be my favorite room in

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the whole place. Picture this a long corridor where both

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walls are covered with giant topographical maps of Italy from

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the fifteen hundreds. And I don't just mean they're painted

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on the walls. These are massive frescoes with incredible detail,

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showing Italy as Renaissance cartographers understood it. The ceiling above

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is completely covered in ornate gilded decorations, and when the

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afternoon sun streams through the windows, it's absolutely magical. Most

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people rush through here on their way to the Sistine Chapel,

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but trust me, give yourself time to really look at

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these maps. Now, about those famous spiral staircases you see

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all over Instagram, There are actually two of them. The

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modern one you go down at the end of your visit,

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called the Bramante stairs case, is the one you've probably

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seen in photos, but there's an original Renaissance version that's

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usually closed to the public. If you book one of

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the special early morning or after hours tours links in

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our show notes, you might get to see both. Let

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me tell you about the Rafael rooms, because these often

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get overlooked in the rush to see the Cistine Chapel,

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which is a real shame. These were basically the Pope's

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private apartments, and Rafael covered every inch with incredible frescoes.

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The School of Athens is the most famous. It's this

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massive painting showing all the great philosophers of ancient Greece.

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But here's what makes it really interesting. Rafael used his

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contemporaries as models. That's Leonardo da Vinci posed as Plato,

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and Rafael himself is in there too. Our guide pointed

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out all these details I would have completely missed on

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my own. Here's a practical tip about the museum route.

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There are actually a few spots where you can take

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a break. There's a surprisingly decent cafeteria about halfway through,

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with restrooms nearby, and there's a lovely courtyard where you

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can sit and rest. Use these breaks. Museum fatigue is real,

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and you want to be fresh when you get to

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the Sistine Chapel. Speaking of the route, let me tell

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you about the Pinncateca, which a lot of people miss.

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It's a separate wing that houses the Vatican's collection of

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panel paintings, including some absolute masterpieces. The best part, it's

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usually much less crowded than the main route. You'll find

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works by Raphael Leonardo and Caravaggio here, and you can

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actually get close enough to see them properly without being

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jostled by crowds. And here's something our guide told us

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that I found fascinating. The museum collection is so vast

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that they regularly rotate pieces in an out of storage.

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This means you could visit multiple times and see different things.

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They estimate that only about twenty percent of the Vatican's

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total collection is on display at any given time. Let

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me tell you about the Etruscan Museum section which most

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tours skip, but is absolutely worth seeing if you're interested

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in ancient history. It's full of artifacts from the mysterious

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civilization that preceded the Romans in central Italy. The jewelry

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pieces are incredibly delicate and sophisticated. They look like they

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could have been made yesterday, but they're over two thousand,

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five hundred years old. One last thing about the museums

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the lighting. The Vatican has been gradually installing new LED

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lighting systems throughout the museums, and it's making a huge

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difference in how you can see the art. Some of

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the frescoes literally look like they're glowing. If you're into photography,

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keep in mind that while photos are a loud in

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most areas, flash photography is strictly prohibited to protect the artwork.

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In our next episode, i'll talk about the Sistine Chapel.

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But before we go, here's something a lot of people

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don't realize about Vatican City. There's a fantastic post office here.

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I know, I know, but hear me out. The Vatican

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has its own postal service, and sending postcards from here

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is actually really cool. They're more reliable than the regular

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Italian post and how often do you get to send

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mail from the world's smallest country. Let's talk about what

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to wear, because this is important. The dress code is

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serious and it's enforced. No bare shoulders, no shorts above

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the knee, no bare midrifts. This applies to everyone, regardless

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of gender. Even in the middle of summer, you need

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to cover up. My tip bring a light scarf or shawl.

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You can wear your comfortable clothes for walking around Rome,

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then cover up when you enter the Vatican. For timing

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your visit. Here's my strategy. The museums are less crowded

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in the afternoon, but Saint Peter's is usually better in

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the morning. If you can split your visit over two days,

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that's ideal. If not, I'd recommend doing an afternoon museum tour.

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Book the latest available tour time, then seeing Saint Peter's

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early the next morning. Don't forget to book your tours

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in advance. You do not want to be on a

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four hour line in the Sun. Book in advance link

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in the show notes. Next week we'll take a look

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at the Sistine Chapel. I'm Joe Mitchell and travel is back.

144. Italy - Rome - Vatican City - St. Peter's Basilica: The Truth About Climbing That Dome

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