Pristine Sistine Chapel with Walks of Italy

Everyone, meet Jason Spiehler (left) and Stephen Oddo (right) – the co-founders of Walks of Italy, a sustainable travel company that provides high quality personal experiences and small group tours. We initially crossed travel paths with Jason and Stephen back in June, 2012 – Walks of Italy was a sponsor at TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange Conference).
 What an amazing opportunity! Today’s post focuses on Vatican City*(coincidentally, a UNESCO World Heritage site).

This was my second time visiting Vatican City and it literally was a night and day experience – partly attributed to Walks of Italy’s Pristine Sistine tour itself, and partly due to the fact that I was able to compare my experience of pre-restoration (1993) to post restoration frescos. Time can be favorable under the right set of circumstances.
Walks of Italy calls their early morning tour the Pristine Sistine with good reason: it’s a special experience that grants small group access (up to 12 people per group) to the Sistine chapel – well before the general public are allowed to enter (i.e., the Vatican receives over 20,000 visitors daily).  The Pristine Sistine tour provides patrons a rare opportunity to walk freely inside of the chapel (and not feel like a sardine); the other significant benefit is that this is one of the few times that the Vatican allows guests to talk (quietly but) freely with their knowledgeable [Vatican approved] Walks of Italy guide inside the Chapel itself. The real-time explanation and interpretation of the frescos, along with having a remarkable amount of personal space makes a world of difference.  To me, this is the preferred way to visit the Sistine Chapel.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, I was in awe. The fresco restorations were simply incredible – literally, it is like comparing a black-and-white photo to a vividly colored one. Since we weren’t allowed to take any photos within the chapel itself, you can see the pre-and post-restoration work here (via Wikipedia).

If you visit later in the day, via regular public access, the Sistine Chapel experience is an entirely different animal. Packed to the brim, people stand nearly shoulder-to-shoulder; the temperature inside the chapel is much warmer (due to the sheer volume of people); the Vatican museum stewards constantly bark at the visitors in an effort to keep the chapel under control (there’s a no talking/photography policy within the chapel itself. I later walked through the Sistine Chapel and had to squeeze through sardine pit; it was a stark contrast to the “Pristine Sistine”).
Rich in art, history, and culture – it’s easy to spend days inside the walls of the Vatican.  The Pristine Sistine tour led us through the Vatican museums, Raphael rooms, and some other special gems (we can’t give all the secrets away).  Our tour wrapped up inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world.

Inside, we saw Michelangelo’s Pieta (behind bulletproof glass – another sad “sign of the times”).

Tips on Visiting the Vatican:

• Be sure to dress appropriately – dress code is strictly enforced for both men and women. (i.e.,  no shorts, bare shoulders, miniskirts/other revealing (or offensively marked) clothing).
• Stay close to your guide, especially while inside St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s easy to lose your group while being in awe of the art and architecture (I temporarily lost my group, quite by accident, and nearly didn’t find them again).
• Climbing to the top of the cupola at St. Peter’s Basilica is something everyone should do at least once (320 steps) in your lifetime.  The view from the top is simply stunning. There’s an elevator that provides rooftop access (but not the top of the cupola).  The Vatican charges additional access fees (note: this is not included in the Pristine Sistine Tour, but I highly recommend doing this – the view from the top is well worth the additional effort).
• Warning: the Sistine Chapel is not immune to pickpockets , especially during peak visiting hours.  Having squeezed through the sardine pit myself, I could see how this is likely.

Special thanks to all of the folks at Walks of Italy for really amazing tour and Vatican experience!  The Pristine Sistine is one of those experiences that I’ll always remember!