Due to the larger than expected rise in tourists wishing to visit the Vatican Museums (now 500 years old), the Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, Borgia Apartments and other must see sights of the Vatican, new plans are being introduced by officials to try and stem the flow. Often, the queues form over a mile around the Vatican walls and it can take up to 2 hours or more to get access to the sights but this did not deter over 4 million people per year in the last few years from visiting.This was commented upon by Il Papa when he addressed museum staff last November, ‘many of them are not Catholic, not Christian and perhaps not even believers, but it leads the mind to open itself to the sublime, and so highlights the continuous interweaving between faith and art, the divine and human.’
The senior museum administrator, Francesco Riccardi has stated that it is the intention of the museum to optimise the visits of tourists whilst also reducing the queues thereby enhancing the visits for all who wish to visit. The new arrangements are as follows:
Pre - 10am visit: these slots from 8am onwards will be reserved for groups who book 30 days in advance through tourist agencies that lodge €6,000 deposit with the Vatican
Post - 10am visit: entrance fee rises from €12 to €13
Post Museum Closure: evening visits for groups (special tours) of 30 or more shall pay for the privilege of having the museum all to themselves – rising from €1,800 to €2,500
Groups of 400: same privilege of having museum to self - almost triples from €7,000 to €20,000
Winter Opening until 1300hrs
Summer opening until 1645hrs
Who ever said there is no money to be made in art or religion??? Marcinkus must have cost more than they are letting on to us……