Vatican City

Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano in Italian, Status Civitatis Vaticanae in Latin) is a 1,000 people country in the southern part of Europe, inside Italy, the smallest country in the world. The population is all Catholic, the official languages are Italian and Latin. The official currency is the euro (€) even though the country doesn't belong to the European Union (EU). The capital and largest city is Vatican City. This country is unique in the world because it's an ecclesiastical state, the leader of the country is the Pope of the Roman Catholicism religion.

 

How do I arrive to Vatican City?

  The only way to arrive to Vatican City is arriving from Rome: walking, by bus, by train or underground, by car or by taxi. 

• Bus: one of the buses which goes to Vatican City is the 81, which also stops at Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum.
• Metro: the nearest stop of Rome Metro is Ottaviano-San Pietro (line A-line C).
• Car: if you rented a car, the best choice in a big city like Rome is leave the car in the garage and go walking or using public transport.

Once in Vatican City, as it's just 0.44 km², the only way of moving is walking.

History

The area where now it's located Vatican City was originally uninhabited by Romans because it was considered unsalubrious and ominous until Agrippina the Elder drained the area and many villas were built here; later Caligula brought the Vatican obelisk from Heliopolis (Egypt). The area became the site of martyrdom of many Christians after the Great Fire of Rome (64 AD) and is the place where St. Peter was crucified. In the 4th century emperor Constantino built the Basilica of St. Peter over a former cemetery where St. Peter was believed to be buried. During Middle Age Popes gradually came to have a secular role as governors of regions near Rome founding the Papal States, until the mid-19th century. Most of its territory was seized by the Kingdom of Italy, including Rome in 1870. Italy made no attempt to interfere with the Holy See but confiscated church property in many places. The situation was solved with Lateran Treaty (1929) signed by Mussolini and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, establishing the independent state of Vatican City and reaffirmed the special status of Catholic Christianity in Italy. Under Pope Pius XII Vatican City remained neutral during WW2. In 1970 the Pontificial Military Corps (but for the Swiss Guard) were disbanded by Pope Paul VI and in 1984 a new concordat was signed between Italy and the Holy See.

 

What can I visit in Vatican City?

Vatican City is smallest country in the world so with half a day here can be enough to discover this microstate. Despite it size, Vatican City has many incredible places that are worth a visit. Here appear the main places in Vatican City to sightsee: 

• St. Peter's Basilica (7-19 in summer; 7-18:30 in winter): world biggest Catholic church, first built in the 4th century and then rebuilt in the 16th century. It was mainly designed by Michelangelo and has one of his most recognised sculptures, Pietà. The façade was designed by Carlo Maderno and from its Logia della Benedizione the Pope gives Urbi et Orbi blessing. In its inner part has among its highlights the places where emperors were crowned, St. Peter's sculpture by Arnolfo di Cambio and St Peter's baldaquin by Bernini.
  • Cupola (9-18 from Apr to Sep; 8-17 from Oct to Mar; 10€/ 8€  lift+walking/ walking): cupola designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti, who changed Michelangelo original design. Despite having to walk 551 steps (320 paying the lift) it provides an awesome view of Rome.
  • St. Peter's Grottoes (9-18 from Apr to Sep; 8-17 from Oct to Mar; free): place where many Popes were buried which also has some original columns of the Old St. Peter's Basilica.
  • Art History Museum (7-18:15 in summer; 7-17:15 in winter; 10€/ 8€  adults/ reduced): museum which hosts the National Treasury, with many important works of art like the Crux Vaticana, given to Rome by the East Roman Emperor Justin II, in the 6th century.
  • St. Peter's Necropolis (9-18 Mon-Fri; 9-17 Sat; 13€; it has to be booked in advance): excavations under the basilica have shown the rests of the old basilica that was located here before the current one and what is said to be St. Peter's grave.
• Piazza San Pietro: square built in the 17th century following a Bernini design. In the middle has an obelisk brought from Egypt by Caligula. When the Pope is in Rome, he delivers an speech on Wednesdays at 11 and blesses the people in Piazza San Pietro on Sunday's noon.
• Vatican Museums (9-18 Mon-Sat; 9-15 last Sun of the month; 17€/ 8€  adults/ reduced):  complex of museums that show the amount of wealth that popes have traditionally had, investing it on works of art. It is higly recommened renting an audio guide or having about this museum. 
  
• Paintings Gallery: gallery with some nice paintings like Transfiguration by Raphael, Saint Jerome by Leonardo da Vinci or others by painters like Fra Angelico, Titian or Caravaggio. It is usually ignored by tourists. 
• Collection of Modern Religious Art: gallery created by Pope Paul VI with paintings by Kandisky, Picasso, Vicent van Gogh or Salvador Dalí.
• Chiaramonti Museum and Braccio Nuovo: this part of the Vatican Museums has statues of gods, Roman patricians and the famous statue of Nile.
• Pius and Clementine's Museum: museum with the best sculptures in the Vatican Museum, like the sarcophagi of Helena and Constantina (4th century), Sleeping Ariadne (2th century BC) or the Belvedere Torso (15th century).
• Etruscan Gregorian Museum: museum founded in the 19th century by the Pope Gregory XVI which has important Etruscan pieces like the Mars of Todi or the Guglielmi Collection.
• Egyptian Gregorian Museum: museum founded in the 19th century by the Pope Gregory XVI which has important Egyptian pieces like papyruses, Ramesses II's throne or the Grassi Collection.
• Raphael Rooms: four rooms with frescoes painted by Raphael and his disciples for Pope Julius II. Their names are Stanza della Segnatura, Stanza d'Eliodoro, Sala di Constantino and Stanza dell'Incendio del Borgo. They have the very famous painting The School of Athens.
• Sistine Chapel: chapel with has one of the more known frescoes in the world, ordered by Pope Sixtus IV. The main works of art are The Last Judgment and The Creation of Adam, both by Michelangelo. Here is the place a conclave about a new Pope takes place.
• Apostolic Palace: 15th century palace built as Pope's residence, first built in the 4th century. It is compunded of some of the places previously mentioned (like Sistine Chapel or Raphael Rooms)and some places that aren't usually opened, like Pope Portraits Room, Urban VIII Chapel or Music Room. There are tours to visit those rooms that are usually closed to tourists that have to be booked on advance.

St. Peter's Basilica and Piazza San Pietro

Sistine Chapel

What can I buy in Vatican City?

In Vatican City can be found many souvenirs, specially religious ones, like rosaries.

Where can I eat in Vatican City?

In Vatican City there are no restaurants so to eat you should cross the border to Italy and eat in one of the many restaurants in Rome.

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Posted in: Europe,Vatican City

San Marino

San Marino (Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino in Italian) is a 33,344 people country in the south of Europe, inside Italy, one of the smallest countries of the world (the 5th one), surrounded by the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. The population has a mostly Catholic religious tradition, the official language is Italian (and also Romagnol dialect/language) and the official currency is the euro (€) even though the country doesn't belong to the European Union (EU). The capital city is City of San Marino but the most populated one is Dogana, in Serravalle municipality. The territory of San Marino is composed by nine old small towns, castelli: City of San Marino, Borgo Maggiore, Serravalle, Faetano, Domagnano, Chiesanuova, Acquaviva, Fiorentino and Montegiardino.

How do I arrive to San Marino?

  The easiest and most common way to arrive San Marino is getting City of San Marino, the most touristic and Sanmarinese capital city. 

• Bus: from Rimini Bus Station there are 12 buses to City of San Marino (aprox. 50 minutes) for 5€ (one way).
• Car: if you rented a car, it's a 40 minutes journey from Rimini, a 1 hour 15 minutes journey from Ravenna, 1 hour 40 minutes from Bologna and a 2 hours 45 minutes journey from Florence.

Once in City of San Marino the best choice is leaving the car in a park and walk in the city center or use the cable car (4.5€ round-trip).

History

Saint Marinus left the island of Rab and went to current Rimini, escaping later to the nearby Monte Titano, where he built a church, founding the City of San Marino. During the lombards San Marino was part of the Duchy of Spoleto. In the Middle Age it was form as a republic (considered the oldest republic in the world) and in 1320 Chiesanuova joined the country. In 1463 San Marino helped Papal States against Segismundo Pandolfo Malatesta, lord of Rimini, and after the victory was granted with Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle (since then the borders haven't changed). San Marino passed their constitution in 1600 (called statutes), its independence was recognised by Papal States in 1631 and during Napoleon times (thanks to Antonio Onofri) it became an allied and he offered to extende San Marino's territory. During the 19th century San Marino was used a refuge for people who wanted Italian unification and Giuseppe Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state. During WW1 San Marino was neutral and from 1923 to 1943, San Marino was under the rule of the Sammarinese Fascist Party. During WW2 San Marino was neutral and despite that the country was bombed by the Royal Air Force in 1944. After the war San Marino was the first country with a communist democratically-elected government (a coalition between socialists and communist from 1945 to 1957). San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe in 1988 and of the United Nations in 1992. It is neither a member of the European Union, nor of the Eurozone although it uses the euro as its currency. 

What can I visit in San Marino?

San Marino is a very small country although it's bigger than many people think. A full day in San Marino can be enough to discover this microstate. Here appear the main places in San Marino to be visited:

• City of San Marino (Città di San Marino in Italian; San Marèin in Romagnol): capital city of the Republic of San Marino but not the biggest city in the country. Its historic center and Mount Titano was incripted in UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The old city is around Piazza della Libertà, where in summer there's a changing of the guard each hour. There's a multi-museum card (3.50€) which allows you to get into the First Tower, the Second Tower, San Francesco Art Gallery, San Marino State Museum Modern Art Gallery and Palazzo Pubblico (if possible).
  • Falesia Second Tower (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced): 13th century castle located in Mount Titano. Inside this castle can be found the Museum of Ancient Arms (9-17) and from it there are awesome views of the Adriatic Sea and Rimini.
  • Guaita First Tower (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced): biggest and oldest castle in San Marino, built in the 11th century. It was a prission until 1975.
  • San Marino State Museum (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced): this museum, considered the best in San Marino, is about art, history, culture, numismatics and furniture opened in 1899.
  • Palazzo Pubblico of the Republic of San Marino (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced): 19th century palace built like communal palaces in the 13th and 14th century. It was built to replace Domus Magna Comunis (14th century), which was demolished because it threatened ruin.
  • St. Marino Basilica: 1836 Neoclassical-style cathedral with the relics of St. Marino enshrined. It was first built in the 7th century.
  • San Francesco Art Gallery (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€  adults/ reduced): 14th century church that hosts an art gallery with sacred art paintings and objects from the 15th to 18th centuries.
  • San Marino Modern Art Gallery (10-18): gallery with 800 paintings, photographs and sculptures from the 20th and 21st century. 
  • Emigrant Museum (8:30-18 Tue-Fri; 12-18 Sat-Sun): museum located in the former Monastery of St. Clare which tells the stories and remembers Sammarinese emigrants and their lives.
  • Montale Third Tower: 14th century tower which was used as prission too.
  • Civil Life and Traditions Museum (8:30-12:30 Mon-Fri; 3€): museum that shows objects and traditions that Sanmarinese people have had for many years.
  • There are other weird museums like Museum of Curiosities (9:30-19:30 from Jul to Sep; 10-17:30 from Oct to Jun; 7.50€/ 4€  adults/ reduced), Museum of Medieval Criminology and Torture (10-19; 8.50€/ 6€  adults/ reduced) or Night Creatures Museum (10-19; 7.50€/ 4€  adults/ reduced).
• Borgo Maggiore (E Bórgh in Romagnol): second biggest town in the country (6.871 inhabitants) next to City of San Marino, with a cable car joining both towns. Borgo Maggiore has some interesting places to visit like Monastery of St. Clare, monastery founded in the 16th century; some churches like Cuore Immacolato di Maria Sanctuary or Sts. Antimo e Marino Church; and San Marino Natural History Museum (8:30-12:30 and 13:30-18; free), a museum about the natural and landscape patrimony in San Marino. 
• Serravalle (Saravâl in Romagnol): most densely populated municipality in San Marino in whose largest settlement is Dogana. It has interesting sport facilities, a nice old town and Malatesta castle.
• Faetano (Faitén in Romagnol): last town which joined San Marino (in 1463). The tourist attractions are the town hall (Casa del Castello) and St. Paolo Apostolo in Faetano Parish, a 19th century church.
• Domagnano (Munt Dmagnên in Romagnol): small town near City of San Marino with nice views of it. Here was found Domagnano Treasure, important 5th-6th century Ostrogothic hoard which is mostly preserved in the British Museum of London.
• The other castelli aren't so attractive but each one have something interesting. The village of Chiesanuova (Cisanòva in Romagnol) is nice with its landscape; Fiorentino (Fiurentêin in Romagnol) has an archeological site with some interesting finds; Acquaviva (Aquaviva in Romagnol) has a nice park, Montecerreto Park; and Montegiardino (Munt Giardêin in Romagnol), with St. Lorenzo Church (19th century) and a nice castle.

Palazzo Pubblico

                                              

City of San Marino view

 

What can I buy in San Marino?

San Marino, as a tiny and independent country, is a very interesting place for numismatics and philately lovers because it's one of the only places where their unique coins and stamps can be gotten. In fact, San Marino is believed to have been the first country in the world in coining stamps (1607). To get some of them, the most popular choice is Sportello-Ufficio Filatelico Numismatico (Piazzetta Garibaldi 5).

Where can I eat in San Marino?

Sanmarinese food is practically the same that the one in Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions, but there are some special dishes. The main ones are desserts like Torta Tre Monti (three mountain cake), a wafer layered cake covered in chocolate depicting the Three Towers of San Marino or bustrengo, a Christmas cake.

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Posted in: Europe,San Marino