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Where the Vatican Goes to Hide
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