All Products Shore Excursions Vatican Museum & St. Peter's Basilica - airport

Vatican Museum & St. Peter's Basilica - airport

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Starting at
$194.99 / Adult (ages 13 and over)
$184.99 / Child (ages 3 - 12)
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
Moderate Activity Level
No Minimum Age
8.0 hours
Children 2 years and under do not require a ticket
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Details

Disembark day offers a wonderful opportunity to see St. Peter's Basilica and Square, Vatican Museums and the VIP Hidden Section Cabinet of Masks. This tour will end at FCO airport.

Your tour’s first stop is the spectacular Vatican Museums, a complex that houses one of the most impressive and varied collections of art in the world.

Continue to the Sistine Chapel, small and elegant but huge in artistic significance, and home to the masterpieces of the great artist Michelangelo.

The Cabinet of Masks is one of the best hidden treasures of the Vatican Museums. You will have the opportunity to discover this amazing little hall, thanks to an exclusive pre-booked reservation.

The Cabinet of Masks is based inside the square tower of the Belvedere Palace, once the luxurious residence of Pope Innocent VIII. Originally designed for defense purposes, but also offering a breath-taking view over the city of Rome, it was first used as the papal chapel (to be later replaced by the Sistine Chapel) and then as a museum hall (1780).

It takes its name from the magnificent ancient Roman micro-mosaic floor, removed from Emperor Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli (near Rome). The floor consists of four panels, three portraying theatrical masks and one a countryside landscape.

Micro-mosaic is a special technique developed by extremely expert ancient Roman artists, that is considered as precious as jewelry, in view of the very small tiles (called tesserae) of glass or enamel-like materials. It was a considerably expensive decoration that could only be found in the houses of very rich Roman families.

Amongst the sculptures on display, there are female subjects as the group of the Three Graces, and statues of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.

The oddest artwork in the Cabinet of Masks is for sure the Sedia Stercoraria (from Latin stercus = dung), literally the “Dung Chair”. Not to be missed!

Step outside into the fresh air and stroll through St. Peter’s Square, this striking plaza frames the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica, located on the site where St. Peter was martyred and buried.

The tour concludes at the Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci" (FCO).

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Notes

This tour is only available to guests whose cruise ends in Civitavecchia and have post cruise flights after 7:00 PM (19:00) on debarkation day from Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci" (FCO). Guests will be free to reach their own destination independently.

This tour will not be available on the following voyages as the Vatican Museum is closed on Sunday and Special Holidays.

The drive between Civitavecchia and Rome is approximately 1.5 hours, subject to traffic conditions. Sightseeing in the Vatican City will be on foot as motorcoaches are not permitted in the vicinity.

This tour involves a great amount of walking; therefore, it is not recommended for guests with walking difficulties. Guests must be able to negotiate the steps of the coach.

Proper attire that covers shoulders and legs must be worn by both men and women in the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica – mini-skirts, shorts and capri pants are not acceptable.

Visitors must pass through metal detectors at the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica.

Large bags or umbrellas, bottled water, video cameras, knives or scissors must be checked at the security checkpoints. Large backpacks or bags cannot be taken inside the Vatican Museums.

Flash photos are not permitted in the Vatican Museums. Photography and video are not permitted at all in the Sistine Chapel.

You might encounter considerable crowds, lines and delays at the venues.

Please be aware that Basilica might close for security reasons, at any given time, without previous notice; this is particularly the case on Wednesdays, if the Pope chooses to hold mass services in St. Peter's Square.

Should the assigned motorcoach drop-off and pick-up point for St. Peters Basilica be congested or unavailable, an alternative location will be used. Please note that an additional walking portion of 0.6 miles from/to the alternative location should be considered.

The order of the tour may vary due to traffic conditions but will cover the same sites.

This tour uses headsets.

Guests suffering from claustrophobia must be aware that the motorcoach drop-off/pick-up point for St. Peter's Basilica, " Parking Gianicolo", is an underground parking.

This tour is non-refundable due to Vatican tickets, sale will close 60 days prior.