Vatican City expresses the strength and the importance of one of the oldest institutions in the world - the Catholic Church. The story of the Vatican began 1900 years ago, in connection with the execution site and tomb of Saint Peter, the first Pope.

The Vatican Palaces are an immense complex of buildings, irregular in plan, whose construction dates back to different periods. Since the 15th century, the Vatican became the permanent papal residence and in 1473, Pope Sixtus IV erected the Sistine Chapel as his private papal church.

Every new Pope wished to leave a mark of his pontificate by having new areas decorated or implemented by the greatest artists of their time, coming to Rome from all over Europe. The trend was reinforced by Julius II creating the Vatican Museum in 1506, to which new buildings have been added since then. The Vatican now contains 11 museums with an exhibition area of 3.8 square miles containing works of art from 4000 BCE to the present day.

Visiting the Vatican with your private tour guide will allow you to have a tour focused on your interests, and will make your Sistine Chapel tour unique. The visit can last from four to eight hours covering the different sections of the Vatican museums according to your wishes. In a four-hour itinerary, we will visit the famous ancient Roman statuary collection, the original nucleus of the museums containing the famous Laocoon, the Apollo del Belvedere, and many other statues, busts, sarcophagis and bas-reliefs. We will also visit The Candelabra, The Tapestry and The Geographical Maps Galleries, the Raphael Rooms - commissioned by Pope Julius II to decorate the walls of his living quarters - the Borgia apartment where the famous family lived surrounded by the splendid decorations created by Pinturicchio. Next we enter the Sistine Chapel, the supreme masterpiece by Michelangelo Buonarroti who spent four years painting the ceiling with scenes from Genesis, and six more years to painting the altar wall with the Last Judgment.

We'll then step into the immense St. Peter's Basilica, the church of all churches! The best Renaissance artists were involved in the creation of this great Catholic temple. It took 120 years to complete the largest church ever built. Visiting the basilica, we'll enjoy and compare the art history of Renaissance and Baroque styles. We will view Michelangelo's Pietà and his incredible architecture of the dome. We will also see Gian Lorenzo Bernini's baroque masterpieces and other works of art throughout the church. The tour will end in St. Peter's Square.

There is a dress code for this visit: no shorts, no sleeveless shirts or blouses, no big umbrellas and no backpacks.

There are possible extensions to Castel St. Angelo, Navona Square and Trastevere.