I have a confession to make: I am not a patient man. So, while the rest of Rome sleeps, I find myself on foot, making my way to Piazza del Risorgimento, a small square just outside the walls of the Vatican. Crossing the River Tiber via Ponte Cavour, the lights of Castel Sant’Angelo twinkle in the distance. With the exception of the occasional Vespa that zips by, the streets of the Eternal City are still calm. During my solitary walk, it dawns on me that no one on holiday should be up at this ungodly hour, but it’s an earthly pleasure I’m willing to sacrifice to be among the first of the day to walk the halls and galleries of the Vatican Museums. Without an intercession by the saints or a direct link to the Pope, I’ve managed to join a small group tour that grants early access to the museums before hordes of curious visitors descend upon them.

It may have taken a miracle to bring Lazarus back from the dead, but on this crisp autumn morning, a Roman breakfast of a doppio and maritozzo (cream bun) from a nearby espresso bar is all it takes to reclaim my status among the living. From our meeting point at the piazza, I join our group and guide, Dario, before we make our way around the outer wall towards the museums’ entrance, bypassing a sign that reads, ‘tre ore’ (three hours). Christianity might be waning in the west, but interest in the Vatican – the seat of the Catholic Church – clearly is not, particularly if these wait-time signs are anything to go by. 

In 2019, the Vatican Museums welcomed more than 6.8m visitors, more than any other since the museums were opened to the public in 1771. In the summer months, when the streets of the capital are heaving with tourists, queues are known to snake around the outer walls – some for up to four to five hours. Today, we’re in and through security in less than 10 minutes, thanks to our skip-the-line tickets. Making our ascent into the museum via a series of passageways and stairs, Dario recounts the storied history of the Vatican, which traces its origins to the construction of a basilica dedicated to St Peter, one of the 12 apostles and the first bishop of Rome, by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. 

The original basilica was itself built upon the Circus of Nero, the site of the first state-sanctioned Christian persecutions following the disastrous Great Fire of Rome, which nearly destroyed the ancient city. Among the martyrs was Peter, who is said to have been crucified upside down and later interred at a cemetery just outside the circus. The apse of the old basilica (now referred to as the Old St. Peter’s Basilica) is said to have marked the final resting place of St Peter and was in use until it was torn down by Pope Julius II in the 16th century, making way for a Renaissance-style masterpiece that was the largest church in the world – a record still unmatched today. 

Of all the artefacts that remain from the Circus of Nero, the ancient Egyptian obelisk known as The Witness – a name arising from the belief it stood witness to the crucifixion of St Peter himself – now stands in the heart of the Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square). It, too, holds a record as the only obelisk to remain standing following its removal from Egypt and re-erection in Rome. 

As the power and influence of the Catholic Church ebbed and flowed for the greater part of almost two millennia, so too did the expanse of buildings, churches, palaces and artworks that survived the sackings, schisms, wars and major constructions Vatican City encountered before it became an independent state in 1929. Much like that of the city, the Vatican Museums grew from a handful of galleries to the 24 that now house the vast papal collections of the church. These include some 70,000 works of art, from paintings and sculptures. And only a fraction (around 20,000) are ever on display to the public. 

As we make our way to the Sistine Chapel, Dario makes momentary stops, first at the Pinecone Courtyard, named after the ancient pinecone-shaped bronze fountain that once stood near the Pantheon. Its great size once drew the attention of the Italian poet, writer and philosopher Dante, who subsequently referenced it in his Divine Comedy. Later, passing the Pio Clementino Museum, we pause again as Dario notices my gaze being drawn towards the statue of Laocoön – the Trojan priest who tried to warn his people of the wooden horse. The almost life-sized statue depicts Laocoön and his sons being attacked by sea serpents, sent from the Greek goddess Athena … or Poseidon or Apollo, depending on which version you’ve heard. 

In gallery after gallery, my attention is pulled left to right, towards the vast number of classical sculptures and artworks previously only seen in the tattered pages of my much-loved history books. From the Gallery of the Tapestries with its 17th-century weavings and the cartographical splendour of the Gallery of Maps to the Raphael Rooms with its High Renaissance frescoes, I am awestruck by the beauty and brilliance surrounding me. With so few visitors, we are free to wander around the rooms in our own small group. Dario points out the hidden features within many works – most famously the faces of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, depicted as Plato and Heraclitus in Raphael’s The School of Athens fresco. 

It’s not until we reach a narrow set of stairs that I realise we’re approaching the Sistine Chapel. Of all the rooms at the Vatican Museums, this is the one that has captured my imagination – not just because of Michelangelo’s masterful vaulted ceiling or Botocelli’s frescoes, but because it still serves as the site of the papal conclave. While photography and talking of any kind is strictly prohibited (posted guards closely monitor for any visitors talking or trying to sneak in their next Instagram shot), I quickly swap out my audio guide for my AirPods while climbing one final set of stairs.

Having come prepared, I discreetly load Allegri’s Miserere Mei, a masterpiece of choral music composed in the 1630s and once exclusively only allowed to be performed in the Sistine Chapel in the week leading up to Easter. Keeping to the theme, I’ve chosen the 2015 recording of the original found in the Sistine Codex of 1661, said to be the first-ever album recorded in the chapel itself.

Listen to Allegri’s Miserere Mei, here:

In a daze, I step out into the chapel to the haunting voices of the choir emanating from my AirPods and turn to look up at Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement in all its glory. It’s a profoundly surreal experience, only matched later by the sight of The Creation of Adam. Taking a seat on the right-hand side of the chapel, I absorb the incomprehensible beauty of the space in absolute peace. At this hour, there are still so few visitors that I can walk freely around and explore the various works by Botticelli, Rosselli, Signorelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio, it feels truly special to be able to witness the serene nature of the chapel in such a small group. But I’m losing track of time. It’s not until Dario quietly ushers us to our final destination – St Peter’s Basilica – via a secret side door available only to group tours like ours, that I realise the best is yet to come.

Entering through the portico of St Peter’s Basilica and crossing the ‘threshold’ for the first time, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. For many believers, the basilica’s significance extends beyond the mere historical importance of the site – it reaches into the spiritual realm as the holiest place outside of Jerusalem. Its sheer size and grandeur, with its Renaissance and Baroque architecture, are enough to stir a near-religious experience within this lapsed Catholic. 

At every turn, works by the great masters, including Bernini, Michelangelo and Maderno, adorn the walls, ceilings, domes and chapels that make up the basilica. And while visitors blamelessly flock to Bernini’s Baldachin – the 10-storey-high canopy over St Peter’s tomb found beneath the 45-storey dome at the far end of the nave – there are other sights hiding in plain sight… if you know where to look for them. 

As a history buff, my gaze is immediately drawn to the Rota Porphyretica, a red porphyry stone disc found at the entrance of the central nave, the origin of which dates back to the Old St. Peter’s Basilica in the 4th century AD. It was here, on this stone, that emperors –  including Charlemagne – knelt before the Pope to be crowned. Later, drawn to the monument to Pope Alexander VII, Dario reveals Bernini’s subtle political statement, pointing to the depiction of the virtue Truth, whose foot is placed upon a globe depicting England, referencing the Pope’s inability to suppress the wave of Protestantism in Europe. 

Further along, a small queue can be seen forming beside a bronze statue of St Peter, where custom dictates that you rub the right foot of the saint as a blessing. Over the centuries, the bronze toes have almost all but worn away, so much so that visitors now rub the toes of his left foot. Peering back out from Bernini’s Baldachin are some of the church’s most precious relics, including fragments of the True Cross, Veronica’s veil, the skull of St Andrew and the Holy Lance, all hidden within the niches above the statues. But what of the relics of St Peter himself? While access to the tomb of St Peter – the pinnacle relic of the basilica and the cornerstone of Catholicism – is accessed through the underground necropolis (Scavi), it is sadly not open to the general public. Instead, access is granted to only 250 visitors per day when booked in advance. It’s something we all note down for next time. 

As we take one last look at the impressive nave before walking out onto the portico, I ask Dario about the secret Vatican archives. These are home to some of history’s most important documents – Henry VIII’s request for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the Codex Vaticanus (the oldest existing copy of the Bible) and a letter from Mary Queen of Scots, written while awaiting execution under home arrest in England.

“For that,” he says, “you’ll have to speak to the Pope.”

How to skip the queues at the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica:

• GetYourGuide operates Rome: Early Entry to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel Tours daily, excluding Sundays when the Vatican Museums are closed to the public (except on the last Sunday of the month, when the museums offer free entry to the public). The 225-minute experience includes skip-the-line tickets to the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica, with prices starting at $143 per person.
• Access to the Vatican Necropolis can be reserved directly with the Scavi office, by emailing scavi@fsp.va. Note: only 250 places per day are available, and are often booked out months in advance.
• Traveller’s tip: Strict dress code rules apply for visitors to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Shorts, hats, sleeveless shirts and dresses and exposed knees are not allowed. Visitors have been known to be denied entry regularly for non-compliance.

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