One thing people love to do among many when traveling to Rome is to visit the Vatican. And it’s understandable as to why. Whether you’re a religious person or not, everyone can appreciate the beauty of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the impressive collection of the Vatican Museum. And being able to see the Pope, in person, is surprisingly easy to do!
My roommate, Hannah, and I heard through the grapevine that going to the Papal Audience is free! You can get tickets for the Audience in advance or the day of. For large groups who want to have seats close to the front, you must make reservations and pick your tickets up in advance. Depending on the time frame you’re in Rome, I would highly recommend attending the Audience on a Wednesday rather than Sunday. I’ve passed by the Vatican on a Sunday and was astounded at how far the massive crowd stretched back.
If you’re like Hannah and I, and you decide to attend the Audience at the last minute, you should arrive a few hours early to pick up your tickets the day of, or else you’ll have to fight the crowds. And it is a BIG crowd on any day. When arriving early, you will be waiting a while for the Audience to begin, but if you can snag some seats then the wait is well worth it. If you’re in Rome during the warmer months, be sure to bring plenty of water, glasses and hats. There is no shade in St. Peter’s square.
Just be careful that you actually get a ticket…
Hannah and I did our research the night before arriving on where to get the tickets. Or so we thought. According to the websites for the Vatican and the Papal Audience, you can pick up your tickets from the Vatican Offices located at the Bronze Doors just past security. But did we do that? Nope. Don’t get me wrong, we wanted to be good, rule-abiding people and follow instructions, it just didn’t work out that way… Here’s the story;
We left our apartment at seven in the morning, wide awake and ready to go! We hurried through the twenty-minute walk to the city-state. As we made our way down the street – Via della Conciliazione – and toward Saint Peter’s Square, we came face-to-face with a short metal gate and three Vatican Guards. Naturally, I urged Hannah forward first as a sacrifice. After clearly showing how uncertain we were on where to find the mythical Bronze Doors, the Guard stepped aside and simply pointed toward the Square, letting us through with those very clear and precise directions. So, we continued on. As you walk ahead to the center of the Square, you find an uninscribed Egyptian obelisk, topped with a cross. (Caution: History Nerd Moment) The obelisk was originally made in Heliopolis, Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh, but Emperor Augustus had it moved to Alexandria where it stayed until 37 AD. Emperor Caligula then had it moved once more, to the center of the Circus of Nero in Rome where it stayed until being moved one final time in 1586 to Saint Peter’s Square. What a lot of people who visit the Vatican don’t known is that the Vatican obelisk is the only one in Rome that has not fallen since the ancient Roman times! But when you look past that, you find the 140 statues of Saints which stand atop the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, that embrace visitors in “the maternal arms of Mother Church”. And this is just the entrance.
Once Hannah and I had managed past the initial awe of everything and its ginormous size, we noticed a long line of people that disappeared around a corner. That had to be the line for tickets, right? Of course. We stood in line for maybe twenty-five or thirty minutes before we got to the front which was to a mini-airport security type checkpoint. Hannah and I exchanged a look. Okay, no problem, obviously the tickets were on the other side of the security.
Unfortunately, we still didn’t find the Bronze Doors even when we passed through security.
We had no tickets and the Swiss Guard patrolled back and forth through the Square amongst the excited tourists. Immediately, everything turned into a game of hide-n-seek. We knew that tickets were required to be in the sitting area of the Square which was also the closest to where Pope Francis would be, so wouldn’t the Guard kick us out if they realized we didn’t have tickets? We just had to make sure they didn’t notice our lack of tickets. Easy.
Already sitting in a few chairs, a tour group of older people gazed at their tour guide, listening and nodding along to the stories she told about the Vatican and the different things around them. They were a perfect disguise. Hannah and I slipped our way through the row of chairs and nestled ourselves next to three older women toward the back of the group, who, basically, welcomed us into their group without any questions. Not that we were complaining about it. Whenever a Swiss Guard in his bright yellow, blue and red uniform marched by, Hannah and I would turn in our seats to where the tour guided pointed and nod along in understanding, occasionally snapping a picture or two for the icing on the cake.
And just like that, we made it to the time for the Audience to start. Because of our vertically challenged stature, we couldn’t see Pope Francis when he first appeared, but we could definitely tell that he was somewhere since everyone started to cheer and whip out their phones and cameras. We stood on our tiptoes in our chairs to watch as he zoomed along in the Pope-mobile until he finally ascended the stairs to his chair in front of the Basilica.
Being in the Papal Audience was beyond what we could have ever expected. The process was long, but worth it. The Pope gave his speech and prayers, kissed babies and shook hands with the lucky audience members that were able to get close enough. Of course, his speech was in Italian, but have no fear of not understanding. The Pope’s entourage of Cardinals all took turns to translate the Pope’s speech in various languages.
As long as you can arrive early enough and don’t mind the long wait, attending the Papal Audience is something I, without a doubt, recommend adding to the bucket list. After all, how many of your family members and friends can say they’ve seen Pope Francis in person? Just make sure that you actually get a ticket.
Wanderlost Notes 