Not many people can say that they have spent time in the Sistine Chapel alone. Until now.
“Waking Up the Vatican” – this first-of-its-kind experience has a perfect 5-star rating on Viator and TripAdvisor, with reviews claiming the activity to be a “must-do”, “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”, and “worth every penny”. Sold. Prior to arriving in Italy, I booked the tour through Viator, which is operated by City Wonders, for our first full day in Rome [see post: Rome in a Weekend].
Our day began at 4:30 in the morning. While most of Rome was still asleep, my mother and I enjoyed this first-ever experience that granted us entry into the Vatican Museums with Gianni Crea, the clavigero (key keeper), before any of the standard early access tours.
The clavigero carries nearly 3,000 keys to the Vatican Museums, and every morning opens the monumental Vatican doors. He uses a key to get into each section of the museum, turning on the lights to each room for the day. That day, he was assisted by us!
My mom and I actually had the opportunity to unlock the doors ourselves and turn on the lights to the galleries and rooms of the Vatican Museums. Finding the right key that opened each area was challenging, but fun. We were both put up to the test.
We literally visited the most famous galleries and rooms, like the Gallery of Maps and Raphael’s Rooms, as the lights were switched on.
Walking through the empty Vatican Museums was rather surreal. Normally jam-packed with tourists, we basically had the entire place to ourselves. The renowned Sistine Chapel was the final stop – how fitting. Here, we got to spend time with Michelangelo’s masterpiece with no other tourists in sight.
The two-and-a-half-hour experience ended with a breakfast buffet in the Pinecone Courtyard. Following, we had the rest of the day to revisit the Vatican Museums on our own, enter St. Peter’s Basilica and climb up to the dome, wander around the square, and explore Vatican City.
Was it worth it? Yes and no. The experience was truly one-of-a-kind, but I am not sure that I agree with the price tag. I paid a whopping $528.63 USD per person for this “must-do” activity. But, it is important to remember that “value” is subjective.
