The Vatican Museums started with a a few sculptures collected by Pope Julius II in the 14th century; today the Vatican Museums are a huge complex of pontifical museums and galleries, and the collection of modern art is continuing today. Check our Vatican Museums resources for more on the wealth of museums inside Vatican City.
The best time to avoid visiting the Vatican museums is, of course, summer, when throngs of people clog the immaculate painted passageways on their way to the Sistine Chapel. Stopping can seem like a risk of one's life or limb. November through February is the best time to visit, and the weather in Italy dictates that these are the optimal months to be inside doing museum things.
Join us for a very short virtual tour of the Vatican Museums. Click each picture to see it larger.
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