Vatican & Surroundings

The Hotel Colors Rome and is blessed in its vicinity to the Vatican City - Europe’s most sacred site and the centre of the Catholic world. Immediately around the hotel is safe and relatively quiet for central Rome, yet with all the essentials; yet under ten minutes’ walk from the hotel and hostel, the Vatican is a divine miracle! Here to whet your appetite is a brief introduction to the Vatican’s spiritual and aesthetic wonders.

A sovereign state held completely within Rome and separated from the centre by the beautiful River Tiber, the Cittá del Vaticano is home to the Papacy and has been the focus of Christianity for over two millennia. It also contains some of the richest architecture, art and museums of anywhere in the world. Revered as the site of the execution of Jesus’ apostle Peter, the Vatican began to take its current form in the fifteenth century under Pope Nicholas V. The magnificent Square is dominated by St. Peter’s Basilica, the interior of which can hold around twenty thousand worshippers, such is its vastness.

Elsewhere, the Basilica and museums boast countless priceless pieces: Michelangelo’s Pietá, the Baldachin by Bernini, myriad antiquarian artefacts, tapestries and religious paintings. It is impossible to see it all in one day, let alone fully appreciate it.

Then of course, there is the Sistine Chapel. Dating from around 1480, this smaller haven in the south west corner of the old palace is home to the most breathtaking artistic achievements of mankind. The fresco murals finished by Michelangelo in the mid 16th century were restored in the early 1990s to great effect. The nine panels of the huge ceiling depict important events from the Book of Genesis. The controversial masterpiece behind the altar, The Last Judgement, depicts the Second Coming and rise and fall of man before the Lord. Silence accompanies the visitor here and it is only appropriate in the midst of such august, awe-inspiring beauty. For more detailed information on the marvels here, go to the official Vatican website from our Useful Links page.

Such is the size and popularity of the Vatican it is strongly recommended that the keen visitor arrives as early as possible in the morning. Not only will the queues be shorter, but the air will be cooler and the tour much more pleasant. And remember, when you are exhausted at the end of the day, the Colors Hotel and the rest of Rome - ancient and modern - are just minutes away!