The Vatican Museum is actually a series of different museums that contain art and Christian historical artifacts that date back thousands of years. This particular institution is over 500 years old and is home to some of the most expansive papal collections and most famous Renaissance art ever produced. This museum is actually one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. As such, this set of museums sees nearly 5 million people every year, who are dying to see the parts of church history that they would not normally see.
With endless amounts of artifacts to see, it is hard to narrow down the most significant, but I will do my best. One of the museum’s most famous features is actually from the 20th century, and that is the Bramante Staircase. This spiraling staircase was designed by Guiseppe Momo in 1932 and was based on the original Bramante Staircase that had originally been installed 400 years earlier. What makes this set of stairs especially spectacular is its double helix design, which allows people to move up and down the stairs at the same time without disrupting the flow of traffic.
If you are a fan of sculpture, one place you need to see is the Museo Piso- Clementino, which contains the Gallery of Statues and the Sale delle Muse. The Gallery of Statues contains the Barberini Candalabra and the Sleeping Ariadne, which is one of the most famous and recognizable statues from antiquity. The Sale delle Muse contains the statues of the Greek god Apollo and his 9 Muses, including Clio, the muse of history. 😉 This hall also contains the Belvedere Torso, which is a work that was revered even by the likes of Michelangelo, one of the world’s most famous Renaissance artists.
Speaking of Michelangelo, last but certainly not least on my list is The Sistine Chapel. Located in the Apostolic Palace, this chapel is most famous for its ceiling done by Michelangelo during the 16th century. This piece of art contains one of the most recognizable images in the art world with the Creation of Adam located in the central part of the ceiling. Though Michelangelo himself was actually more of a sculptor than a painter, he took on the project anyway and produced the masterpiece we now have today. Millions of visitors come from all over the globe for the opportunity to stand in this space, and I know for me this is something that most definitely makes my bucket list.
The History Honey 
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