Those who have visited Rome will attest to the misery of stickily shuffling through the endless corridors of the Vatican museums, alongside thousands of tourists, in order to reach the Sistine Chapel - the focal point of everyone’s visit.

You deserve better: to explore the museums, and the Sistine Chapel, in the same way as celebrities and visiting dignitaries do - privately.

As the final crowds of the day are being ejected from the Vatican you’ll meet your guide for a glass of wine by the offices of Italy With Us, on Via Vespasiano.  After the debrief you’ll take a short walk to the imposing entrance to the Vatican and, to the bemusement of those who know the Vatican to now be closed, a large door with slowly creak open and allow you to quietly move inside.  

Your small group and your guide (if it’s Anton, ask how his bicycle ride from England to China’s progressing..) will be accompanied by a lone Vatican guard with one set of keys - and together you’ll have the run of the place.  

Unencumbered by the crowds of the day, you’ll peacefully amble through galleries and courtyards filled with Roman sculptures, tapestries and 15th Century paintings, until heading down a small staircase that leads into the Sistine Chapel.  There you’ll learn about the paintings that adorn all of the walls, as well as the famous ceiling; you’ll hear stories of Michelangelo’s strained relationship with Pope Julius II (who commissioned him to paint the Chapel) and you’ll be shown the secret messages and insults that he deftly snuck in to his work.

In addition to the entirely private evening tours, Italy With Us also offer regular group tours of the Vatican.  The 8am tour is the best option as you’ll avoid the queues by entering the Vatican before it officially opens (at 9am), giving you around half an hour in the Sistine Chapel before others start to arrive.