Vatican Highlights: Tapestries, Maps, and Philatelic Wonders

View the marvels of the Vatican Museums with skip-the-line tickets that we shall prearrange for you.

Feel the profound history and magnificent art that make the Vatican Museums one of the most highly rated in the world.

This extended tour is designed to take an intimate look at a wide array of objects in the holdings of the museums' vast collections, accompanied by our erudite guides who happen to also hold a pass from the Vatican.

Begin by looking at the different areas that make up the Vatican Museums.

The use of 'museums' in its plural form correctly reflects the large number of particular collections housed within this elegant complex.

Start with the Art Gallery.

See a collection of paintings from the Renaissance; works by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Caravaggio are but the beginning of an overwhelming number of masterworks that have defined later directions in the history of art.

Learn stories about these works on techniques and inspiration from some of the most important figures in the world of art.

Then we proceed to the Egyptian Museum where artifacts from the time of the pharaohs are on display.

Marvel at preserved mummies, intricate hieroglyphs, and beautiful sculptures that bear witness to a long-gone past.

Next door is the Etruscan Museum which presents objects belonging to the mysterious Etruscan people-objects that speak about their daily life, beliefs, and artistry.

Find out what they mean-discover how they influenced Roman culture.

Serious shade is thrown by the Museum of Contemporary Art with its modern and contemporary collection against works by world-famous artists.

A pretty good display, in fact, gives a somewhat interesting take on how art has evolutionized: spotlighting all the ways it’s always had to reflect and shape human experience.

Guides will provide background information on the movements and influences that inspired these artists, helping set up an understanding based on past contexts to what is currently relevant.

After that, they will look at Classical and Greco-Roman Antiquities.

They will see sculpture and artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome.

These works of art — among them the well-known Laocoön Group and the Belvedere Torso — show how great and classy those old cultures were with art achievements that also tell a bit about the myths, politics, and daily lives of those times.

The Philatelic and Numismatic Museum exhibits the evolution of stamps and coins through rare artifacts of great value from around the world.

Just across, the Ethnological Museum displays artifacts that represent very diverse cultures from different parts of the globe, once again underscoring the Vatican’s wide contact with so many human histories.

These collections give an interesting insight into how much contact and influence the Vatican has had all over the world.