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Home , Borgo (rione of Rome), Porta Cavalleggeri, Vatican Hill

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 120

Vatican City, & | BORGO | PRATI |

Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Gazing heavenwards at 2 Being blown away by the 4 Revelling in the won- Michelangelo’s masterpieces super-sized opulence of St derful rooftop views from in the Peter’s (p122). Castel Sant’Angelo (p134). (p108) – on the ceiling, his 3 Trying to line up the col- 5 Marvelling at the cinematic Old Testament umns on St Peter’s Square ­vibrant colours of the frescoes; on the western (p134) – it is possible. ­fabulously frescoed Stanze wall, his terrifying vision of di Raffaello (p108). the Last Judgment.

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rlet n 000 000 la o Viale Giulio Cesare 000 Ba c n r 000 at i 000 a a Pompeo g Vi Ma Vi o e C ia000 a r Vi o Magn l D a a rc o 0000000 dre Co Vi 0000000 n L 00 a A a a eo lo 0000000 Vi 00 n Piazza 0000000 00 n to 0000000 ne IV 00 na 0000000 o 00 n della o i 0000000 n ic o Libertà 0000000 a rman V a i e 0000000 i G v a i 0000000 Candia Vi a V Via a V o t L t i r 000000000000 Vi a u p c O o i 000000000000 a T nz r 000000000000 e a C A e a 000000000000 c z i 000000000000no i ca Piazza del R t i V ti000000000000000000 a Cola di Ri o Vi e o a 000000000000000000 C 000000000000â# 000000Risorgimento PRATI go V 000000 a e 000000 l r l Vatican Vi o o a 000000 a Cresce Vi 000000Vi nzio V Museums a a 0000S i Piazza 0000 Po n a a 0000000000rc i T Cavour 0000000000a r ri r o 0000000000i l d 000000l 0000 A 000 b e a on 000000000 BORG000000O 0000t 0000z Giar00dini0 s z a i 000000000 Bo 0000000000i 0000000 an 000000000000 rgo Pio 0000a P 0000di Ca00stel0 00000 000000000000 0000C 0000000 00000000000 0000000005# 000 0000 Sant'Angelo o 00000000000 000000000000 0000P 00000000000 000000000000 0000a lo 1# i l VATICA0000N CITY0000000 000000000000 Via della 0000 4# aste 00000000000 0000000000000000000000000000V 0 C (CIT0000TÀ DE000000L0 0000000000000000000000000000 0 Lgt 00000000000 2# 0000000003# 000000000000000Conciliazione 0000 0 iver 00000000000 00000000000000 ber R VATI0000CANO000000)0 00000000000St Peter's Sq00uare0 000 Ti 00000000000 00000000000 000 Sant'Angelo ona 00000000000 000000000(Piazza San Pietro) 00ia0 r di N 00000000000 000000000 00s 0 Lgt To 00000000000 s 00 00000000000 Gianicolo a 00 000000 allegge S 00 000000 v ri () n 00 0000 Ca i 00 Via Aureli0000a rta t 00 0000 Po g 0000di L 0000ia 0000V 0000 For more detail of this area see Map p312 A 121 Lonely Planet’s Explore: Vatican City, Borgo & Prati Top Tip The Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state (a mere Be wary of the touts around 0.44 sq km), sits atop the low-lying a few Ottaviano metro station hundred metres west of the . Centred on the domed selling queue-jumping tours bulk of St Peter’s Basilica, it boasts some of ’s most of the . revered artworks, many of which are housed in the vast These guys are on com- Vatican Museums. mission to round up clients You’ll need at least a morning to do justice to the and the tours they offer Vatican Museums. The highlight is the Michelangelo- might well cost more than decorated Sistine Chapel, but there’s enough art on those sold on the museums’ display to keep you busy for years. If you’re with a tour ­official website. guide, or if you can sneakily join onto a group, you can Note that if you want to pass directly from the Sistine Chapel through to St attend Easter or Christmas Peter’s Basilica; otherwise you’ll have to walk around mass at St Peter’s you’ll and approach from St Peter’s Sq, itself one of the Vati- have to book (free) tickets can’s most dramatic sights. Once finished in the basilica, through the Prefettura you’ll be ready for a break. There are few good eating della Casa Pontificia options in the Vatican itself, but the nearby Prati district (www.vatican.va/various/ is full of excellent trattorias, takeaways and restaurants. prefettura/index_en.html). Between the Vatican and the river lies the medieval dis- trict of the Borgo – before Mussolini bulldozed Via dei Con- Vatican C ciliazione through the area, all the streets around St Peter’s­ 5 Best Places were like this. The big sight here is Castel Sant’Angelo, the to Eat large, drum-shaped castle overlooking the river. ¨¨Pizzarium (p138) The Vatican, Borgo and Prati districts are all easy to ¨¨Romeo (p136) reach by public transport. ity, Borgo & Prati ¨¨Velavevodetto Ai Quiriti (p136) Local Life ¨¨Enoteca La Torre (p137) For reviews, see p135.A ¨Fast Food Rather than having a full-length midday meal, local office workers tend to grab a snack from the many excellent takeaways in Prati. Join them and lunch 6 Best Places on pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice), arancine (deep-fried to Drink rice balls stuffed with cheese and vegetables) and gelato.  (Sciascia Caffè (p138¨¨ ¨Shopping Spearing off Piazza del Risorgimento, Via is a popular shopping strip lined with ¨¨Makasar (p138) department stores and midrange clothes shops. ¨¨Art Studio Café (p138) ¨Catch a Gig Join the locals for sweet melodies at ¨¨Passaguai (p138) Alexanderplatz (p138), ’s oldest and most famous For reviews, see p138.A jazz joint. Another top venue is the basement pub Fonclea (p138). 1Best Overground & Underground Getting There & Away ¨¨ of St Peter’s Basilica­ (p122) ¨Bus From Termini, bus 40 is the quickest one to the ¨¨Terrace of Castel Vatican – it’ll drop you off near Castel Sant’Angelo. You Sant’Angelo (p134) can also take bus 64, which runs a similar route but stops more often. Bus 492 runs from Stazione Tiburtina ¨¨Tomb of St Peter (p125) to Piazza del Risorgimento and Cipro metro station, ¨¨Vatican Grottoes (p125) passing through Piazza Barberini and the centro storico. For reviews, see p134.A ¨Metro Take metro line A to Ottaviano–San Pietro. From the station, signs direct you to St Peter’s.