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The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group Tour

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourI have traveled all around the world, but Rome, Italy is by far one of my favorite cities to visit and will always hold a place near and dear in my heart. Earlier this year when I was planning a trip to Italy for my husband and I, I booked private tours with The Roman Guy – and they did not disappoint! I love “winging it” when I am on vacation, and exploring cities on my own, but booking tours with professional guides is always important, and the guides at The Roman Guy know their stuff and helped us make the most out of our trip to Rome.

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourWhy book a tour when you can just explore the city yourself? The list of reasons we booked tours with “The Roman Guy” are endless, but first and foremost – no one likes to get lost. There is nothing more frustrating than being on vacation, and spending half of your day trying to get to your destination because you aren’t familiar with the area. And, when you do make it to your destination, which for us was the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel – it’s important to know what exactly it is you are looking at. We didn’t want to miss out on the experience because we were too busy rifling through brochures, history books, and Googling things on our phone. The Roman Guy’s tours are educational and informative, sight-seeing with them is like taking a virtual trip through a text-book, only much more exciting!

If you have ever went sight-seeing in Rome, especially at the Vatican Museums, then you know that the waiting line to get in is atrocious – which is also another reason why we booked a “small group tour” with The Roman Guy. We got to skip the line! My husband Jody and I, and his Aunt, Cousin and Uncle arrived outside of The Vatican Museums – and were promptly whisked away by our private tour guide and taken directly in to the Museums to begin our tour, we didn’t have to wait outside for hours in the hot sun which was a huge perk. And, if you are travelling with older people while you are in Rome, then The Roman Guy’s Vatican “Under the Stars”  Evening Tour is perfect for older tourists who don’t get around as well as they used to.

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourOur tour lasted roughly three hours (although the time flew right by and we were sad when it ended) and kicked off at the Vatican Museums. Throughout the centuries the Roman popes have been collecting thousands of pieces of breathtaking art, by some of the greatest artists of all time, and housing them at the Vatican Museums. It would take one person literally years of their life to visit every single gallery and piece of artwork at the Vatican Museums – it can be a bit overwhelming. But, our guide from The Roman Guy made sure we got to check out all of the most iconic paintings, including the “Belvedere Torso,” which is said to have inspired Michelangelo himself.

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourThe super friendly tour guide from The Roman Guy took my husband and I and his Aunt and Uncle to the three most famous galleries at the Vatican Museums – Gallery of the Candelabras, Hall of Tapestries, and the iconic Gallery of the Maps.

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group Tour
One of my absolute favorite pieces of art at the Vatican Museums was the “School Of Athens,” by Raphael, which was located in the Raphael Rooms. The masterpiece was painted in 1509, and embodies Greek Philosophy beautifully. The “School of Athens” depicts 21 great Greek philosophers, although there has been some discrepancies over the years concerning the identities of the 21 individuals. Socrates, Euclid, Homer, Plato, and Aristotle are some of the wise faces Raphael captured. The walls are literally covered in Raphael’s art work in the Raphael Rooms, and our tour guide walked us right through them!

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourThe Sistine Chapel is at the top of every traveler’s must-see list when they visit Rome, and I am so glad that we used The Roman Guy’s tour when visiting the iconic masterpiece. Michelangelo worked on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and painted while lying on his back from 1508-1512. And, it is easily one of the most famous pieces of art in all the world. Michelangelo returned in 1535 to the Sistine Chapel and added the breathtaking piece, “The Last Judgment.” Everyone has seen photos of Michelangelo’s ceiling, but they don’t even begin to compare to visiting the Sistine Chapel in person and taking in all of its beauty. The art is truly remarkable, and of course our friendly guide from The Roman Guy made sure that we didn’t miss a single beat of it.

The Vatican and Sistine Chapel Made Magical With The Roman Guy Small Group TourSo far The Roman Guy’s Vatican “Under the Stars” Small Group Evening Tour has been my favorite part of my trip to Italy! If you are planning a vacation to Rome, then the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums are a must see and I highly recommend heading over to the Roman Guy’s official website to book a private tour with one of their friendly guides so that you don’t have to wait in the long lines and you get the most out of the remarkable experience.

DisclaimerCompensation was not provided for this post, The Roman Guy kindly provide the tour for review purposes.  All opinion are my own.