Gregorio VII Apartment, Rome Vatican - Tips and Area

1BR / 1BA short-term vacation rental apartment with fast Internet connection close to the Vatican

Tips and Area

Vatican Museums:
One of the most important museum complexes in the world, the Vatican Museums are divided into several arranged sections containing Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, paleo-Christian and Renaissance masterpieces by the greatest artists, which were collected or commissioned by Popes down through the centuries. All the itineraries end at the Sistine Chapel, where the recent restoration has brought to light the original brilliant colours of the vault and Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, which time had darkened.

Tip: take a binoculars or an hand mirror to better appreciate the spectacular ceiling.

Viale Vaticano – Tel. +39-06-69883332 www.vatican.va – Entrance 12 €, reduced 8 € free of charge on the last Sunday of each month 8.45 – 13.45.
From January 7^th to March 6^th and from November 2^nd to December 24^th 8.45 – 13.45 (entrance till 12.20).
From March 8^th to October 29^th and from December 27^th  to January 6^th 8.45 – 16.45 (entrance till 15.20) – Saturday 8.45 – 13.45; Sunday closed.

Closed January 1^st and 6^th, February 11^th, arch 19^th, Easter Monday, May 1^st and 20^th, June 10^th and 29^th, August 14^th and 15^th, November 1^st, December 8^th, 25^th and 26^th and other religious holidays.

Information and reservations for guided visits to the Vatican Museum and to the Vatican Gardens: +39-06-69884676 fax +39-06-69885100.

National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo:
Built by emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his successors, Castel Sant’Angelo was later transformed into a fortress and then into a prison. Today it holds an important art and military museum.
Information and reservations: +39-06-39967600

The area of Prati (“Meadows”): takes its name from Prata Neronis, emperor Nero’s agricultural land, and from the gardens and fields which characterised the area, which was isolated from the city centre, up until the end of the 19^th century.

Shopping:

Via Cola di Rienzo: is one of the most popular Roman commercial streets set on the San Pietro side of the Tiber  (across the river from Piazza del Popolo and few step away from the Vatican). It has block after block of boutiques and department stores, as well as street stalls and gourmet food shops. You can find all the big names of Italian fashion. This area is also excellent for shoes, with many shops of every level of price and style.

Stores and boutiques:

Walking in Via Cola di Rienzo, it is possible to find many well-known stores, including Miss Sixty (http://www.misssixty.com/), Gente, Max Mara, Luisa Spagnoli, Luijo, Diesel, La Cicogna, Benetton, Stefanel and Spatafora, Trussardi (http://www.trussardi.it/), Murphynye (http://www.murphynye.com).

Delicatessen and gourmet food shops:

Don’t miss Franchi (Via Cola di Rienzo, 200 - tel. +39-06-6864576), a famous shop specialised in cold cuts, gastronomy and takeaway foods. Also to be mentioned Castroni  (Via Cola di Rienzo, 196 - tel. +39-06-6874383), old coffee shop specialised in oriental and foreign products.

Restaurants:

Da Cesare: Via Crescenzio, 13 (Tel. +39-06-06-6861227). An oldstyle spot in the residential area near the Vatican known as Prati. On offer are classic fish and meat dishes such as fresh marinated anchovies, homemade pasta with meat sauce or fish, and thick Florentine steaks with fries. Try the large selection of cured meats, especially the prosciutto (salt-cured deer) or lardo di Colonnata (bacon). Gnocchi are served on Thursday and pasta with chickpeas on Friday. Extensive wine list representing many Italian regions.

International newspapers and magazines:

The news-stand in Piazza Cola di Rienzo open 24 hours a day.