Question about Friday night Vatican museum openings

[cruisemom42]

I'll be in Rome on an upcoming Friday night in June. I've never done a "beat the crowd" early morning or after-hours Vatican tour, but I was contemplating getting a ticket and doing the evening museum opening on my own (not with a tour).

 

I have a couple of questions though. First, do they limit the number of people who can get in on these evenings? I don't want to go only to find it is nearly as crowded as during the day. I've been to the museums numerous times, including some off-season visits where the crowds were light. Will I be disappointed?

 

Second question -- are all of the areas that are normally open also open at night? Or are you herded through only specific areas? I have zero interest in the Pinacoteca, the map room, the Raphael room, or the Sistine chapel. I only want to see the Roman sculpture galleries -- and possibly some of the Etruscan collection -- with as few other people as possible.... ;)

 

Anyone (Slidergirl?) who can reassure me that it's worth it?

[slidergirl]

I did the Friday night trip through the Vatican Museums. People did queue up, but I reserved my ticket and time in advance. The queue was just through the little rope maze in front of the Entrance, not down the sidewalk like I've seen in the daytime. I went for the opening time (I think it was around 7p). It was absolutely NOT a herd atmosphere. I do not remember any rooms being closed off, other than one spot inside with the little sculptures of the animals - it was roped off, so you could still look, just not get up close. Any photos I took had no pieces of other people's heads, shoulders, arms, just the art. There were rooms where I was the only one in there at the time. I could take my time at something that caught my fancy and not feel pressured to move on. My neck was sore the next day from staring up at the ceilings everywhere!!! In the Raphael room, I think there were maybe 5 other people at the time I was there. In the Sistine Chapel, there was room to move around, look at everything without being shoulder to shoulder - there were even empty chairs!! It was definitely cooler, not claustrophobic, and the lighting was excellent. One spot that was very special to me was the Matisse room; it had the small crucifixion sculpture by Matisse; the lighting cast a shadow of the sculpture on the wall that just moved me. Some people probably blow by the Matisse room because, well, it isn't old art. But some beautiful pieces in there.

I have never visited the Vatican Museums other than the night trip - after that, and hearing horror stories of the masses of people crammed in there during the day, I would never do anything other than a night trip.

 

You will enjoy it. Have I ever lead you wrong??? ;) And, you can hit up Pizzarium (apparently also known as "Bonci" now) for a pizza and supli fix down by the Cipro Metro stop before or after - it closes at 10pm...

Edited May 26, 2016 by slidergirl

[heathero]

I also went for the 7 pm opening time, where the was a small queue, but once inside we moved at our own pace and it soon thinned out. What I did find is by the time I got to the end, the extra rooms (there was one filled with pope mobiles I wanted to see) were closed. I don't know if this was a one off, or the are usually shut in the evening.