Vatican Tour (Private)

Opting for a private Vatican Tour ensures that you will have your Presto Guide's full attention as you visit the Vatican City. In addition, a private visit can be tailored to your group's special interests; If there is a certain gallery or artist that you would like to explore more in depth, we will match you with one of our Presto art historians to delve deeper into the subject. Opting for a private tour also provides the flexibility of choosing your own start time.
On a typical Vatican Tour, our Presto Guide will lead you through the maze of the Vatican City and look closely at the highlights of the Vatican Museums' marvelous art collection. We also explore the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, including the interior of the church. The Catholic Church has been collecting some of the most treasured art for centuries. A visit to its museums will delight you with its beloved and sometimes surprising art. The Vatican Museums were founded 500 years ago with a discovery of a sculpture in a vineyard near Rome; within a week, the sculpture was the first art piece of what became the museums' 54 galleries.

At present, the Vatican City boasts a stellar roster of artwork. The core artistry we will visit on this Vatican Tour will be by Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini. Along the way, brace yourselves for the stories which you will hear: the historic legends, myths, scandals, and secrets of the smallest country in the world, the Vatican City.

Inside the Vatican Museums, you'll be surrounded by both ancient masterpieces such as the Belvedere Apollo, a Roman second century copy from a Greek bronze original possibly by Leochares (330-320 B.C.), and Renaissance masterpieces such as the Mass of Bolsena by Raphael. Before silently revelling your senses inside the Sistine Chapel (there is no talking allowed inside this holy site), your Presto guide will recap the Biblical Story of Creation, the Downfall of Humanity, and the Story of Noah, which Michelangelo depicted in his world-renowned frescos. Whilst exploring the making of the Sistine Chapel, we will take a peek into the politics of the Vatican City's art commissions and get to know the artists' with the help of your guide's favorite anecodotes.

Finally we visit St. Peter's Basilica, named after St. Peter, the first Pope and the modern day patron saint of Rome. Architect Donato Bramante designed the Basilica with a precise symbolism which according to Arnaldo Bruschi can be "schematised – in accord with an ancient, mostly Byzantine tradition – as a cube (the world) with four extending arms (the four parts of the world), and a dome above it (heaven)." Inside the Basilica we will find another of Michelangelo's masterpieces, his sculpture, the Pieta', and more.

As an officially recognized partner of the Vatican Museums, Presto Tours and our guests are privy to the Vatican Museums special VIP entrance and gain instant entry with our skip the line service.