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Vatican City

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Vatican City

9 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Vatican City

Updated March 4, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Vatican City

Vatican Necropolis.

Vatican City

Vatican Necropolis

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling

Vatican City

Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.

La Resurrezione

Vatican City

La Resurrezione

If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.

Vatican City

Stufetta del Bibbiena

The Vatican's secret porn-festooned bathroom was painted in erotic murals by one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

Master studio.

Vatican City

Vatican Mosaic Studio

A hidden workshop for creating and restoring Papal mosaic masterpieces.

The sculpture was created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1670.

Vatican City

'The Vision of Constantine'

This equestrian statue of Constantine the Great has been the subject of criticism for centuries.

Vatican City walls.

Vatican City

Vatican City Walls

Historic fortifications form the boundary of Vatican City, but it’s not entirely surrounded by walls.

Domus Sanctae Marthae

Vatican City

Domus Sanctae Marthae

These spartan apartments are provided to clergymen visiting Vatican City.

See All 9 Things To Do in Vatican City

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Explore Vatican City

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Sacred Spaces 3

Religion 2

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Stories About Vatican City

Why Elite Romans Decorated Their Floors With Garbage

This mosaic is trash.

November 22, 2019

Adam and Eve eating from the fig tree in the Garden of Eden.

A Detail You May Not Have Noticed in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Fresco

Remember when Eve bit into the…fig?!

by Evan Nicole Brown

November 2, 2018

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