Think I can- Vatican

The long weekend of travel to Italy turned out to be one of my favorite European visits to date. With five days of amazing travels to Venice, Florence, and Rome, the trip was full of sightseeing and beautiful scenery. After looking back on Italy, I realize that one of the most interesting parts of Italy for me was Vatican City.

Arriving at Vatican City on a hot Saturday afternoon, my group was just happy to finally get some relief from the torturous heat. We felt that the Vatican Museum would be extremely interesting and of course air conditioned. After just a few minutes of walking from our bus location to the museum, we were approached by several English speaking tour guides that promoted various tour options to us. We decided that after a day of heat and bus travel, the two hour tour that one guide had offered would be our best option. After the decision was finalized and our $35 fee paid, we trudged up the hill behind the Vatican Museum to a back entrance with our tour guide. Our tour guide was a tall dark haired American man that looked to be in his mid 30’s. Right from the start, he began guiding us through various museum galleries and continually talked nonstop with a sort of enthusiasm I had to admire.

In one of the outer gardens we stopped to talk about Vatican City in greater detail. Before the information was given, I thought of Vatican City in terms of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. To me, it was a simple location that held famous historical elements of Rome’s past. I never really thought of it as a sovereign city state with its own national identity. I quickly learned from the information given that Vatican City goes far past the museums and churches tourists are drawn to. Physically, Vatican City is surrounded by tall brick walls and spans for around 100 acres. Located on the Western side of Rome, Vatican City has its own government, military, and even a specialized currency. Governmentally, the city is set up as a monarchial society with the head of state being the Pope. Under the Pope, high Catholic clergymen are appointed governmental positions to carry out executive and legislative matters. In addition to governmental autonomy, Vatican City employs its own military defense, the Swiss Guard. Founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II, the Swiss Guard was originally hired to act as body guards to the Pope. Prerequisites for being a guard in Vatican City include being Catholic, male, and Swiss. Today, over 100 guards still serve as the main defensive force in the city. The last quality that makes Vatican City unique is its economy. Being a city based on traditional values, the economy is not commercialized and relies on tourism for financial support (check out how much the U.S. trades with this city: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4752.html). It contains its own church and has a differentiated form of the euro which depicts the current Pope on one side of the coin. All of these factors make Vatican City a symbol of tradition within Rome (for more info on Vatican City: www.populstat.info/Europe/Vaticang.htm)

Overall, the Vatican is truly a unique City that seems to be preserving traditional values of the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. As my tour guide discussed the information above, I thought back to the numerous articles we have read discussing nationalism and national identity. Vatican City can be viewed as perhaps one of the most traditional cities present in today’s world. It contains political, religious, and economic entities that set it apart from Italy and Europe in general (Check this interpretation out: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/1042vatican_city.html). People living within Vatican City identify themselves with strong Catholic values and support the Pope led monarch. Likewise, when speaking about Vatican Cities tourist driven economy I thought back to the reading relating to tourism and the shaping of nations. Relying on almost solely tourist purchases, Vatican City is just one more competitor in the tourist market. It shows that even traditional markets can be shaped by tourism.

To future students, my main recommendation would be to splurge on a Vatican Museum tour. Throughout this trip, I have questioned if tour fees are worth paying. For the Vatican Museum, a tour guide is a must unless you know all of the information. Having someone describe to you the history behind the art work makes the museum far more interesting and efficient. In addition, eat a meal in Vatican City so you can witness a bit of what you have just learned. The food is amazing and it is fun to see tourists, Swiss guards, and priests walking intermixed down the streets.