Vatican’s Open Secret
An open secret among the various Rome guides we use is the unique opportunity to view the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel EARLY in the morning. When entering the Vatican at 7:00 a.m., you are richly rewarded walking through the galleries and the amazing Sistine Chapel with few other tourists.
Hidden Treasures
Enjoy Michelangelo’s stunning frescos and the Last Judgment in peace, hours before the crowds come flooding in, leaving you with no room to walk among the art with a little bit of personal space. The morning tour also allows you to pay a special visit to the often not open to the public Cabinet of Masks, containing mosaics of Hadrian’s Villa as well as remarkable Roman statues. An expert guide will take you past Renaissance masterpieces from Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, and Ghirlandaio before your tour ends at St. Peter’s Basilica, bypassing the long lines, to admire Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Breakfast
If unable to eat an early breakfast at your hotel, the Vatican Museum offers a continental breakfast inside for the early bird patrons.
