Vatican for Families
DURATION: 3 hours
PRICE: €290 per group, excluding tickets
The Vatican is a tough place to bring kids: The lines are long and the crowds inside unforgiving. But since this is an important site in Rome and critical to one's cultural education, we've developed a way of approaching the Vatican that will give your children a basic introduction to art and religion without overtaxing anyone's patience.
Note: This is a three-hour walk of the Museums alone. It ends in the piazza in front of the Basilica of St. Peter, but does not include the Basilica.
After a general introduction to the history of the Vatican as an institution, we begin our visit to the Museums with the chronologically-arranged picture gallery known as the Pinacoteca, where your docent, who is trained in inquiry-based learning techniques, will conduct an interactive "seminar" on painting from the Medieval period to the high Renaissance, using masterworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and other painters as a backdrop.
From here, we'll take refuge from the crowds in the cafe. Here your docent will give the group a primer on the Sistine Chapel, using handouts and photos, as our time in the chapel is limited by Vatican restrictions.
We will then resume our walk through the Museums, making our way to the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's masterpieces of the painted ceiling and Last Judgment provide a backdrop for our continued discussion of art, the Church, and Rome.
Note: The Vatican Museums are extremely crowded. We organize this walk to take place at the most opportune times. However, we may spend 20-40 minutes at the beginning of the walk waiting in line, during which time our docent will provide an overview and contextualization for the walk. No time will be wasted. As well, conditions within the Museum can be EXTREMELY crowded and unpleasant at times. So much so that our philosophy of creating intimate, seminar-like experiences can often be put to the test. If you are deeply interested in either ancient or Renaissance art, we urge you to complement this walk with one of our others that visit less-crowded but equally magnificent sites.
Note: The cost of this tour does not include a ticket to the Vatican Museums, which currently runs €14 per person. Please do not purchase these tickets ahead of time, as the whole group must enter together. Also note that the Vatican has strict dress code requirements; no shorts, short skirts, or bare shoulders. If you come wearing shorts or revealing dress, you will be turned away.
Before booking this walk, clients are asked to read our blog regarding navigating the Vatican as a family. Vatican with Families
Please keep in mind that the line is generally longer on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you can organize your visit for a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday afternoon, that's best.
In order to plan the best possible experience for your children, it would be helpful for us know some background. Have they traveled to other countries in the past? If so, where? Have they studied any subjects in school that would relate to the walk? Are they interested in art, music, even food! The more you can tell us, the better.
Due to the very interactive nature of this program and given the educational environment our docent aim to evoke, we adhere to a very strict maximum of 6 participants. Groups larger than 6 will need to book two separate walks that can run concurrently, but with different docents.