Many tourists going to Rome have more in mind than just the Colosseum and Rome’s wonderful array of pastas. For both the believers and those of you simply interested in religious sites, Italy also hides an opportunity to see the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica and perhaps even the Pope himself. Though, if you’re not well-versed in the basics yet, you may not even know where to look for him. Where is the Vatican City? Let’s get you up to speed.
Once upon a time, one of our Polish bands, Varius Manx, created a ballad of ‘the Smallest Country in the World’. The authors of the lyrics, however, have misled you. The smallest country in the world is not ‘you and me’. In fact, we tried to double-check that, and it seems like the country never existed in the first place. As such, we have to declare that the Vatican is still the smallest country in the world. Where will you find it? Bring out your magnifying glass.
Where is the Vatican City?
The Vatican City is in Rome. Sort of. It is geographically and in every sense of the word apart from the fact that legally it’s an enclave surrounded by Rome. The Vatican has a whopping 49 hectares of land, equally earth-shattering 750~ population and is an independent country/microstate/city-state within the borders of Rome. It is ruled entirely by the Pope, currently Pope Francis, though the Vatican also has its own President (of the Governorate of Vatican City State), Fernando Vérgez Alzaga.
The small state is surrounded by walls on three sides and its most important monuments are Saint Peter’s Basilica and Saint Peter’s Square. There are also the Vatican Gardens, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel which are all noteworthy. All of that is located slightly north of the centre of Rome, in the Borgo district.
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