9am - you will be met at the pier by your driver and taken to your Mercedes sedan or minivan for the journey to the smallest independent sovereign country in the world - the Vatican. Upon arrival, your expert guide will meet you.
This small state houses the largest museum, art collection, biggest church and many of the finest masterpieces in the world.
St Peter's Basilica is an amazing creation of Renaissance and Baroque qrchitecture that soars up 140 meters (420 ft) to its dome and deep down into the earth, to the tomb of St Peter, over which it was built. Among the masterpieces you'll admire are/ Bernini's Colonnade, the Altar of Glory, magnificent mosaics, the most ancient bronze statue of St Peter, the Hold Door; the Canopy made by Bernini from Bronze of the Pantheon, the Confession of St Peter, where his relics are kept, and Michelango's Pieta - the only work he ever signed.
In the Papal Palaces that house the Vatican Museum, you'll see paintings by Giotto, Beato Angelico, Raffaello, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio. The collection of Greek and Roman art includes artifacts such as the Apollo del Belvedere and Laocoonte and the tapestries designed by Rafaello. Maps drawn by a cartographer from the 16th century that are so precise they could even be used today. Walk through the apartments of the Popes and the great Stanze di Raffaello (rooms in the Papal apartments painted by Raffaello). The journey through time and art will culminate with one of the world's wonders - the Sistine Chapel, which is covered bith frescoes painted by the greatest artists of the 15th century and completed by Michelangelo. Goethe wrote: "Only those who see it can understand what one man alone is capable of doing."
After your tour, we will drive you back to the pier in time for embarcation.
Duration - 6 hours
Pricing - 543 EUR per person for 2 pax, 201 EUR per person for 7 pax
Includes - Driver and car (Mercedes sedan or Minivan), licensed guide, refreshments on board, all entrances/tours mentioned. Lunch is out of pocket.
Languages - English, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian
TourCode - IT-PZvat