Vatican City Guide

Known by its popular nickname the Holy See (Santa Sede), Vatican City (Citta Del Vaticano) is the last Papal state, located in Italy, within the city of Rome; it is the smallest state in the world. In spite of being located on a low hill, with a boundary of only 3.2 Km, with an enclosed area smaller than some shopping malls around the world, the Vatican gives place to some of the most beautiful and architecturally interesting buildings.

The residence of the Pope, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has its own Euro currency, with the rarest circulation among European countries, so be sure to keep some as they are more valuable than you think! Financially supported by contributions, known as Peter’s pence, from Roman Catholics all around the world, the Vatican has a non-commercial economy.

Besides this, it also sells postage stamps, publications and souvenirs. Something unusual and certainly worth trying out, are the ATMs in the Vatican, as these are the only ones around the world which have instructions in Latin. Outside the walls of the Vatican City, other 13 buildings in Rome and the summer residence of Pope Benedict XVI (Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, elected in 2005), the Castle Gandolfo also enjoy extraterritorial rights.

Keep in mind that in the tiny city, with 1000 inhabitants, no short skirts, pants, or sleeveless shirts are allowed, within the boarders of the Vatican! Almost everywhere you will be able to get your ideas through if you speak English, Italian, Spanish, German or maybe a little Latin; the Vatican is always filled with tourists so no matter which language you speak, you will surely find someone that will understand you!

You may also like these City Guides:
Amsterdam - Ankara - Antwerp - Athens - Barcelona - Berlin - Cologne - London - Pamplona - Paris - Porto - Venice - Vienna

Vatican City guide