Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are the museums of the Vatican City, located within the city’s boundaries, in Rome, Italy. It house some of the most renowned, classical sculptures and masterpieces of Renaissance art.

The Museums display works from the immense collection initially built up by Pope Julius II, in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs. Exhibits are displayed along a long line of halls and corridors, range from Egyptian mummies and Etruscan bronzes to ancient busts, old masters and modern paintings.

The fifty-four galleries throughout the Vatican Museums boast an unrivaled collection of masterpieces, amassed by its many Popes. Displayed are some of the world’s greatest artistic treasures in lavishly decorated halls and galleries including the Sistine Chapel with decorated frescoes ceiling and paintings by Michelangelo.

Highlights include the spectacular collection of classical statuary in the Museo Pio-Clementino, the Spiral Staircase, and the Stanze della Segnatura. Raphael’s School of Athens and other masterpieces are in The Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican’s Raphael Rooms.