Vatican Museums, the Mask Cabinet and Sistine Chapel Private Tour

1084€ per person

approx. 4 hours

Lazio

Museums, Arts, History & Archaeology

Religious, Shrine & Pilgrimage

UNESCO Heritage Site

The Vatican City boasts countless great museums, with extensive art collections attracting thousands of visitors everyday. Inside these galleries we can admire classical sculptures and masterpieces of the Renaissance art. Inside the Vatican Museums a vast number of art pieces and amazing architectures can be admired, belonging to different persiods, cultures and countries from all over the world. One of the biggest exhibition spaces inside the Vatican is the Pio-Clementine Museum, built in the 18th century as ordered by Pope Julius II to host countless Ancient Greek and Roman collections belonging to the Papacy. Among these priceless pieces lies an uncompared Renaissance architecture, commissioned by the same Pope Julius II at the start of the 16th century to link the Belvedere Palace of Pope Innocent VIII to the city of Rome. The Niccoline Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. It is especially notable for its fresco paintings by Fra Angelico and his assistants, who may have executed much of the actual work. The name is derived from its patron, Pope Nicholas V, who had it built for use as his private chapel. The chapel is located in the Tower of Innocent III, in the most ancient part of the Apostolic Palace. The walls were decorated by Fra Angelico with images of two of the earliest Christian martyrs; the upper level has Episodes from the Life of St. Stephen, and the lower one Scenes from the life of St. Laurence. The vault is painted blue, decorated with stars, and features figures of the Four Evangelists in the corners. The pilasters are decorated with the eight Doctors of the Church. This tour also includes another “hidden” Museum: the Cabinet of the Masks which offers a unique experience to our clients. You will you see the highlights of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with an engaging and knowledgeable private guide: the cherry on the cake will be the exclusive visit to the Cabinet of the Masks. This area is part of the Museums, but is usually closed to the general public.
This constitutes an exclusive area of the galleries, whose name comes from the beautiful Roman mosaics depicting masks that adorn its floor. Your tour will continue with the gem of the Vatican, Michelangelo’s masterpiece Sistine Chapel. Only visitors who has been granted a special access have the privilege to walk this precious staircase. If you want to be among those few priviledged visitors, do not hesitate to check out our “Tours of the Vatican with Restricted Areas” and discover how to visit the Vatican with a Private Guide, entering most of the restricted areas of the Museums!The Niccoline Chapel is a chapel in the Apostilic Palace inside Vatican City. The chapel is a small jewel, in part because of the stunning, well-preserved frescos by Fra Angelico.Pope Nicholas V had it built for use as his private chapel. The chapel is located in the Tower of Innocent III, which is the most ancient part of the Apostolic Palace.The frescoes by Fra Angelico are the only remaining works by the artist from his 5 years in papal service. The Cabinet of the Masks another one of the Vatican Secret Rooms and not visitable on a normal entry or tour of the Vatican museums.The Room of the Masks, also called the Cabinet of the Masks, is a small square room that’s named for the tiny mosaic tiles in the floor, which came from Emperor Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The mosaics depict theater masks. One of the things that makes a visit to the Cabinet of the Masks so special is being able to enter, and pass through, the animal room, sometimes affectionately nicknamed “The Stone Zoo”.

PRIVATE TOUR MINIMUM 2 PEOPLE

EXTRA PERSON €620,00

Includes:

Pick-up and drop-off at hotel with private car and driver
“Skip the line” entrance tickets in the Vatican Museums
Professional guide authorised by Vatican City State
Entrance in the Cabinet of Masks (Hidden Vatican)
Entrance in the Raphael’s Rooms
Entrance in the Sistine Chapel
Entrance in the Gallery of the Candelabra
Entrance in the Gallery of the Tapestries
Entrance in the Gallery of the Geographical Maps

Not Included:

22% vat tax
Entrance in St. Peter’s Basilica
Gratuities. If you are satisfied with the service, a gratuity is customary

NOTE

Dress code required for the Vatican: knees and shoulders MUST be covered

Security checks (like airport) is obligatory for everyone entering Vatican City

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The Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is located in the very heart of Rome. It is the pulse of Catholic life. It attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world, who come every year to gather in prayer and seek the blessing of the Pope. A beloved destination for all those visitors attracted by the magnificent artworks in the Vatican Museums, its foremost monument is St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church on the globe, the imposing dome of which stands regally over the rooftops of the Eternal City. The Basilica overlooks St. Peter's Square, designed by Bernini in the 17th Century, who realized the imposing lateral colonnades, consisting of 284 Doric-style columns that are topped by 140 10.17-feet-tall statues of saints and six large coats of arms of Alexander VII Chigi. Thanks to the genius of Bernini's architecture, the columns are arrayed perfectly one behind the other; positioned on their porphyry disks, as if by magic they seem to move. The piazza's longest diameter measures to 787 feet in length, while the central obelisk stands at a height of more than 82 feet. Taking the front stairway, renovated by Bernini and consisting of three levels, visitors enter the portico, with five gates arranged along its 233 meters. Each of them corresponds to one of the front portals of the Basilica. The portico and facade were both realized by Carlo Maderno. While entering the Basilica, the visitor is immediately struck by the artistic profusion of the interior and the spiritual evocations of thisis masterpiece. At the end of the central nave is the statue of St. Peter giving his blessing, with his foot worn by the public's caresses. In a chapel on the right nave is the famous Pietà by Michelangelo, a marble complex of sublime expression, completed by the artist at the age of 23. Symbol of the Catholic Church and of the city of Rome is the main dome, an impressive work designed by Michelangelo, and completed after his death by Domenico Fontana and Giacomo della Porta. The Vatican Grottoes, located under the Basilica's floor, guard the tomb of Saint Peter and those of other popes, including Pope John Paul II. Not very far from the Basilica, walking along the walls, visitors arrive at the entrance to the Vatican Museums, housing incomparable works of art. Among the various exhibition halls, the Museum of Egyptian Art displays numerous examples of sculptures, sarcophagi and mummies, Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and seals. The Painting Gallery (Pinacoteca) contains works by Giotto, Caravaggio, Beato Angelico, Perugino, Leonardo, Titian and Raphael. In the Apostolic Palace, visitors are allowed to enter the Raffaello Rooms that are decorated with beautiful frescoes realizsed by the artist between 1508 and 1524. Nonetheless, the main attraction is the Sistine Chapel, a wonderful masterpiece brought about by the efforts of many artists, particularly Perugino, Botticelli, Rosselli and Ghirlandaio. Although the most famous contribution was undoubtedly that by Michelangelo - i.e. decoration of the ceiling and the realization of the Last Judgement behind the altar.