Vatican City
Vatican City
Where the Vatican Goes to Hide
Aug 7, 2026 • 15 min read
From Castel Gandolfo’s Private Avenues to the Gardens Behind St Peter’s For years, the Vatican existed in my mind as an extension of Rome: St Peter’s Square, the basilica and the long route through the Vatican Museums, culminating in the Sistine Chapel. The Gallery of Maps — spectacular enough to make it easy to forget how little of the Vatican l