Page 116 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

Vatican by taxi (cost of taxis not included), you will spend 3 hrs on a private guided tour
comprising the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, and magnificent St. Peter’s
Basilica.

Founded by Pope Julius II in the early sixteenth century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the
museums are housed in what is known
collectively as the Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano.
This massive, 13.5-acre complex consists of two
palaces—the Vatican palace nearest St. Peter’s
and the Belvedere Palace—joined by two long
galleries. On the inside are three courtyards: the
Cortile della Pigna, the Cortile della Biblioteca
and, to the south, the Cortile del Belvedere.
Each gallery contains priceless treasures, but for
a whistle-stop tour, we suggest the Pinacoteca,
the Museo Pio-Clementino, Galleria delle Carte
Geografiche, Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael
Rooms) and the Sistine Chapel. Some clients prefer simply to focus on the Raphael Rooms,
which are stunning.

Your guide will tailor the visit accordingly, as one could spend several days in the museums
alone. They will propose family-friendly options
for the visit. Admission to the Sistine Chapel and
Vatican Museums is included.

Finish with Basilico San Pietro. We have visited
many of the most noteworthy cathedrals and
churches in the world, and St. Peter’s never fails to
take our breath away with its enchanting beauty
and grandeur. Michelangelo’s dome, the largest
such dome in the world, itself is awe-inspiring.
The opulence of the interior bears testimony to the
wealth of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. It is decorated with large monuments, many of which were created by
Bernini, the great Baroque designer.

The basilica was built over a span of 100 years in the sixteenth century. It was constructed on
the site of a former church, which originally was commissioned by the Emperor Constantine and
completed in 349 AD. The location is highly symbolic; this is where St. Peter died a martyr and
was buried in 64 AD. The greatest architects of several generations participated in the massive
undertaking, including Michelangelo, who was appointed chief architect at the age of 72. The
dome he designed finally was completed in 1590, 26 years after his death. The vast basilica,

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