The Vatican Museums by Moonlight

Almost every night I watch the sun setting slowly behind St Peter’s Basilica and then see the lights begin to flicker as the Dome lights up in unison with the stars. But one night in September I found myself standing next to the Basilica’s Dome admiring it as a quarter moon cast its light across a candlelit terrace of the Vatican’s Belvedere Palace.

In Autumn 2009 the Museums opened for the first time at night giving visitors a different view of works by Michelangelo, Raphael and other great masters. This experiment was very successful, and there are plans to repeat it every now and again, and even stage concerts there, so check the opening times when you arrive.
Hanging out in a Museum is probably not what you’d think of doing on a Friday night but the Vatican Museums aren’t just any collection of museums. They’re often the highlight of every tourists’ visit to the Vatican City but with their popularity comes crowds and long lines at the ticket office during the peak tourist season. For people living next door in Rome the Museums aren’t a place they visit often because they’re only open during the day when most people are working and studying. But now for the first time the Museums are open to the public in the evening. Every Friday in September and October visitors can see the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Stanze (Rooms) from 7-11pm.

Although I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Vatican Museums several times already everything looks different during the evening. The mummies in the Egyptian Museum take on an eerie light, Bramante’s courtyard with the famous pinecone sculpture is transformed into a romantic, candlelight garden of tranquility rather than the usual sun-baked terrace. Looking out of the windows, the angles of the buildings are highlighted and so too is the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica – details you usually don’t notice in the day when blinded by sunlight.

As I wander from room to room the night air flows gently in through the open windows. Where the windows are closed the frescoes are reflected in the glass adding to the sensation of being surrounded by art.
In the Ottagono Courtyard under a roof of darkness the sculptures like Apollo and the Laocoonte Group are easier to admire – the definition of the muscles become more evident as you see light and shade on the smooth marble and you can really see the pain in Laocoon’s face from the attacking serpents.
Then there’s the Sistine Chapel – the highlight of any museum tour for most visitors. When we walk down the steps into the Chapel, I’m confronted with light flooding through the windows giving the strange sensation of daylight coming in from outside. My guide tells me it’s actually lights that were fixed behind the windows during the restoration work finished in 1994.

Of course, there is much more to see than just the famous chapel - there are 16 museums, 2 papal apartments, several chapels and the rooms and galleries of the Apostolic Palace. The Vatican Museums are some of the oldest public museums in the world. Their foundation began in 1506 when Pope Julius II requested the Laocoonte Group be placed in the interior garden of the Belvedere Palace.

“The collection grew over this period not so much by acquisitions as most museums do but by works that were created for the Popes,” said Professor Nesselrath, delegate of the Director General for Scientific Affairs and the Laboratories at the Vatican Museums. Unfortunately one night isn’t enough to see everything in the Vatican Museums but thankfully there are plans for night openings in 2010 and we’re now thinking about creating particular attractions during the evenings that might also then invite people to come more often and to have this special experience.
Of course a visit to the museums is just as rewarding during the daytime when the opening hours are longer.