A Catholic Traveler's Experience Visiting the Vatican

Returning from a self-guided tour of Europe in May, tourist Tien Tien, living in Ho Chi Minh City, shared her experience visiting the Vatican.

"As a Catholic, the place I want to visit at least once in my life is the Vatican. Even as a non-Catholic, this place is still an interesting place to visit if you have the opportunity to go to Rome, Italy," Tien said.

Tien applied for a Schengen visa at the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City in February, more than two months before the trip. Tien said that the visa application process and document compilation were not difficult, just a matter of following the requirements and procedures.

Arriving in Italy, Tien visited Rome, Venice and then spent two days visiting the Vatican. The female tourist traveled from Venice to Rome by Italo train in 4 hours. The Vatican is located in the heart of Italy with a border length of only 3.2 km.

The place has the Italian name Stato della Città del Vaticano, with an area of only about 44 hectares. Vatican has a monarchy headed by the Pope, who is the only absolute monarch in Europe, holding supreme legislative, executive and judicial power.

In two days, Tien visited all the main sites of the Vatican including the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and Peter's Square.

Visitors need to buy tickets to visit the museum and chapel. The basilica is free. To avoid waiting in line for hours to buy tickets directly, visitors are advised to book tickets online. Buying tickets on the Vatican's official website is cheaper than buying from service companies, but tickets at the main entrance are always "sold out".

Because she couldn't book a ticket, Tien bought it through a travel agency for $27 (about 700,000 VND) for both attractions. Tien said that when she arrived in Europe, the weather had warmed up, the sun was beautiful, convenient for traveling and visiting places. May is not yet the peak tourist season, but there were quite a lot of tourists coming to Rome and the Vatican. "However, I didn't see any crowding, everyone was aware of queuing so the sightseeing was comfortable," Tien said.

If you want to visit St. Peter's Basilica, you should come early in the morning. It opens at 8am, so if you arrive at 7am or 7:30am, you won't have to wait in line for long. Also, if you go early, you can take pictures inside the basilica without many people.

"I arrived at 7:30 but there was already a long line of people. After 8:30 the Basilica will be packed with tourists," Tien said.

Tien shared that her visit to the Vatican was meaningful to her because she got to see the cathedral with her own eyes, attend mass there, and see the Pope with her own eyes.

Visitors can see Pope Francis if they visit the Vatican on Sundays or Wednesdays. However, it is advisable to check the Pope's schedule on the website in advance as he is sometimes away on official business.

Pope Francis preaches and blesses people visiting the Vatican in May.

Every Sunday at noon, known as Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis opens his window from the wall to preach and bless those who come to the Vatican.

Every Wednesday there is a General Audience, where visitors can meet Pope Francis up close and personal, and the tickets are sold. The money goes to support Vatican activities and charities. The number of attendees is limited, so visitors should book 1-2 months in advance if they plan to visit the Vatican, and should buy tickets as soon as possible after they have a schedule.

Tien said that in the Vatican there is an interesting but little-known service called "Papal Blessing". The people who provide this service in the city will make a Papal Blessing form, write down the content requested by the tourist, then the Cardinals and Bishops representing the Vatican will sign and stamp the Vatican seal on it.

Previously, to order these cards, you had to go directly to the Vatican, but now you can order them online and choose to pick them up at the Vatican or have them delivered to your home. The service costs 18-27 euros depending on the paper type and size.

In addition, visitors who want to buy Vatican gifts for relatives and friends can find a stall inside St. Peter's Basilica. Here, many beads, necklaces, jewelry, paintings, statues, and crosses are sold.

Bich Phuong

Photo: NVCC

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