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Travel Special
Madrid Travel Special
The FT’s guide to the Spanish capital, from navigating the Golden Art triangle to skiing in the sierras
Winter Travel
Snow and ski special
From ski touring in the Alps to elk watching in the Rockies and dog sledding in Norway
Hotel Insider
Mama Shelter
Designed by Philippe Starck, the comfortable space is in synch with its locale, writes Sophy Roberts
Destination
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1. Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo's ceiling is one of the most spectacular works of art in the world.
- Viale Vaticano
- 06 6988 3333
- Open Jan - Feb & Nov - Dec: 8:45am - 1:45pm Mon - Sat, Mar - Oct: 8:45am - 3:45pm Mon - Fri, 8:45am - 1:45pm Sat
- Adm €10.00, (€7.00 students under 26)
- Disabled access (partial)
- www.vaticano.va
2. Raphael Rooms
Raphael decorated Julius II's apartments between 1508 and 1524. The Stanza della Segnatura features the School of Athens, a convention of ancient philosophers bearing portraits of Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci as bearded Plato in the centre.
3. Apollo Belvedere
This Roman copy of a 4th-century BC Greek statue is considered a model of physical beauty. It inspired Bernini's Apollo in Galleria Borghese.
4. Raphael's Transfiguration
Raphael was labouring on this gargantuan masterpiece (1517 - 20) when he died at 37, leaving students to finish the base. It depicts Christ appearing to the Apostles in divine glory.
5. Chapel of Nicholas
The Vatican's hidden gem is this closet-sized chapel colourfully frescoed (1447 - 50) with early martyrs by Fra' Angelico.
6. Laocoön
One of antiquity's most famous sculptures is this 1st-century BC Trojan prophet and his sons being strangled by serpents as they try to warn against the besieging Greeks' sneaky gift horse.
7. Caravaggio's Deposition
Caravaggio's chiaroscuro technique accentuates a diagonal composition (1604) filled with peasant figures and grisly realism.
8. Borgia Apartments
Pope Alexander VI had these beautiful rooms frescoed by Pinturicchio (Raphael was once his junior collaborator) between 1492 and 1495. The walls are now hung with lesser pieces from the Modern Art collection.
9. Belvedere Torso
The highly crafted, bulging muscles of this 1st-century BC torso of the god Hercules were regularly used as a prime sketching model for Michelangelo and many other Renaissance masters.
