At the site where St Peter was martyred and buried, the Vatican became the residence of the Popes who succeeded him. Decisions taken here have shaped the destiny of Europe and the World and the great Basilica of St Peter’s draws pilgrims from all over the Christian world.

The Papal palaces beside St Peter’s,  house the Vatican Museums, with the added attractions of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms, their remarkable collections of Classical sculpture make them the finest museums in Rome.

The Vatican’s position as a state within a state was guaranteed by the Lateral Treaty of 1929, marked by the building of a new road, the Via della Conciliazione. This leads from St Peter’s to Castel Sant’Angelo, a monument to a far grimmer past. Built originally as the Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum, this papal fortress and prison has witnessed many fierce battles for control of the city.

The Vatican became a sovereign state in 1929, about 1,000 people live here staffing all the Vatican’s facilities, including a Post Office, shops and their own Vatican Radio Station which broadcasts around the world in 20 different languages. They also produce a daily newspaper ‘L’Osservatore’ as well as run and manage their own publishing company.