Remarkable Treasure: How to Take the Vatican’s Most Exclusive Tour
Here you’ll learn about the incredible Vatican Scavi Tour…what many call a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience. Included are tips on how to get tickets at a great price, where to go, and what to expect.
Visiting the Vatican with its breathtaking beauty is amazing! For a lucky few, this includes a truly wondrous tour of the Tomb of St. Peter and the Necropolis under the Vatican Basilica. This tour is known as the Vatican Scavi (excavations) Tour.
Each year only 1% of those who visit Vatican City are able to do this. Read on to find out how you can be part of this elite group to tour one of Christianity’s holiest places. It is an epic experience that is not to be missed.
You can easily navigate within the post using the table of contents below:
- History and Significance of the Tomb of St. Peter
- What You See During the Vatican Scavi Tour
- How to Visit
- Vatican Scavi Tour Basics
History and Significance of the Tomb of St. Peter
To understand what makes this visit so special and unique, we need to go back in time…way back. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Peter was a follower and friend of Jesus.
He was a humble fisherman and the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah and Son of the living God. Afterward, Jesus responded with:
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16: 18-19:
For Catholics, the verses are the foundation of the divine origins of papal authority. Peter is considered the church’s first pope, and the keys given by Christ are a symbol of the papal office.
You’ll often see art with Peter holding keys of the kingdom of heaven. In addition, for 800 years these keys have been included as part of each pope’s personal coat of arms.
St. Peter in Rome
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter traveled sharing the good news of resurrection. These missions converted many to Christianity. Eventually, his travels led to Rome, which marks an ending and a beginning.
On July 19, 64 A.D, Rome experienced a devastating fire that destroyed large tracts of the city.
Angry citizens were looking for someone to blame. Attention turned to a controversial group known as Christians.
Unlike most of the population, Christians refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Instead, they maintained that there was only one God.
The Romans found the idea puzzling. Also, the fact that Christians followed a criminal who had been crucified seemed absurd to them.
Emperor Nero was nervous and anxious to avoid blame for the fire turning to him. So, Christians became easy scapegoats and convenient prey for releasing the anger of the populace.
St. Peter’s Martyrdom
One of the sites where persecutions occurred was an amphitheater at the base of the Vatican Hill. Romans used this circus for chariot racing and other events.
At its center was the same 4,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk that crowns St. Peter’s Square today. In fact, St. Peter’s Square covers some of the site of the ancient circus.
With this obelisk overhead, unspeakable, cruel executions took place in the circus. This included the Apostle Peter who asked to be crucified upside down.
St. Peter’s Burial
Up the hill from the amphitheater, was a necropolis (city of the dead). For health and safety, Roman law prohibited burials within the city. So, necropolises dotted the landscape outside cities. Unlike the catacombs, these were above ground.
In the aftermath of Peter’s crucifixion, followers quietly buried him in the Vatican Hill necropolis. From the beginning, early Christians visited the grave in secret to pay homage.
A century later an aedicule (small shrine) was built on a red wall to mark the location. This shrine became known as the Trophy of Gaius after the priest Gaius who recorded its construction.
Even before Constantine converted the empire to Christianity, followers made pilgrimages to the site. As was the custom, some left graffiti as evidence of their visits. Most of this graffiti used symbols that only believers would know.
St. Peter’s Basilicas
In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine and Pope Sylvester wanted to build a great basilica to commemorate the site of Peter’s tomb. It was an ambitious project.
To do this, they levelled the slope of Vatican Hill moving the equivalent of a 30-foot-deep football field of dirt. In the process, the necropolis was covered to accommodate the new floor of the church.
Time passed and after 12 centuries of use this original basilica was in disrepair. So, Pope Julius II decided to build a new, larger and more grandiose basilica to replace it.
On April 18, 1506, the Pope laid the first stone, which became the Renaissance Basilica you see today.
Excavations to Find St. Peter’s Grave and Relics
Centuries passed and details about the area were lost in time. Because of this, in the 1940s Pope Pius XII commissioned excavations to locate St. Peter’s burial site.
Underneath the Basilica, workers discovered a road about 35 yards long bordered by mausoleums. This ancient necropolis had been used by generations for burial up until construction of the first basilica.
Significantly, the necropolis included the grave of St. Peter. While this was an important discovery, there were no bones found in St. Peter’s grave.
However, workers found bones covered with a gold and purple cloth in a marble-lined repository nearby. Noted archaeologist, Margherita Guarducci, suggested that a transfer occurred from the grave to the repository when the first Basilica was built.
Evidence supporting this included a Greek inscription – ‘Pétr[os] enì’ – on the wall behind it. When translated, the phrase means “Peter is here” or “Peter in peace”.
Tests indicated that the bones in the repository belonged to a man about 5’6” tall who was 65-70 years old when he died. In 1968, after further scientific study, Pope Paul VI declared the evidence conclusive and that these were St. Peter’s relics.
To learn more about the history and excavations, read The Tomb of St. Peter by Margherita Guarducci. It is available online at no charge.
What You See During the Vatican Scavi Tour
Blue 439, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Today you have the chance to be one of the select few who visit the necropolis and the site of St. Peter’s Tomb. It lies at depths from 16 to 39 feet below the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica. (Remember the necropolis was on the slope of Vatican hill before Constantine leveled everything to build the first basilica.)
Visits are by guided tours only and last about 1 ½ hours. You must be at least 15 years old to take part. Also, tours are limited to 12 people.
Vatican trained guides do an excellent job of explaining the history and what you are seeing. They also answer any questions you have.
Our guide graciously gave us time for silent prayer in front of the repository containing St. Peter’s relics. For me, this was the highpoint of the visit.
Many coins dating back to the first century were found there. These and the graffiti were clear signs of the countless pilgrims who made similar journeys to venerate this sacred site.
The tour ends by exiting through the Vatican Grottoes. These are at the ground level of the original basilica. Here, you’ll walk past tombs of popes and other notables throughout history.
How to Visit
Success at getting approval for the Vatican Scavi Tour depends on two things:
- Making your request well in advance of your visit
- Being flexible with dates
The Fabric of Saint Peter is the organization in the Vatican that grants visit requests and the Excavations Office sets the schedule.
Submitting a Request for the Vatican Scavi Tour
Information from the Excavations Office says to send a written request by fax +39 06 69873017 or visit the Excavations Office in person. You can also send an email request to the Excavations Office at scavi@fsp.va.
Ideally, they want the request to come directly from one of the people that would attend the tour. Importantly, each request must include:
- Number of people
- Names of people (first and last name of each person)
- Requested language for the tour
- Dates you want to visit (always spell out the name of the month instead of using a number)
- Contact information (email address, fax number, or full postal address)
There are a few things to think about when requesting dates. First, there are no tours on Sundays and Vatican holidays (check the closing days). Second, it’s best to include more than one possible date.
Only about 250 visitors per day are allowed to tour the site. So, Vatican Scavi Tours are highly sought after and the schedule fills up fast. This is why it is so important to request far in advance and list a few possible dates.
Request Strategies
I sent in requests three different years and finally was able to visit the third time.
I made my first request 5 months ahead and listed a single date. While they granted a visit on my requested date, I had a conflict with the time they scheduled for me. My second request was 4 months ahead and the date was full.
The third time I wised up and decided to send my request 10 months ahead. I also included all four of the days I would be in Rome as possible visit dates.
The Excavations Office replied that they weren’t scheduling yet for 2023 and would send me an answer in October. Sure enough, I got an email in October confirming my visit.
After You Request a Vatican Scavi Tour
The Excavations Office is very responsive. After you submit a request (by email or fax) you should hear back from them within a couple of days.
When you request by postal mail and/or your contact information is a postal address only, it will obviously take much longer.
If time slots are not available on the date/s requested, the Excavations Office will notify you that is not able to grant your request for a visit.
If time slots are available on the requested date, the Excavations Office will send back a reservation notification. It will say that the request was granted and state the date and time of your tour, which could be anytime during the day. The notification will include instructions to confirm the reservation. Confirmation is by receipt of on-line payment for the visit (current ticket cost, including your guide).
Read and follow this information carefully. There will be a specific due date listed to confirm your reservation.
Once you’ve paid, you’ll get another notification that your reservation has been registered. Don’t panic if the notification appears in Italian. Scroll down and you should see a version in your language. In it, there will be a link that you click to confirm your visit.
You get your ticket at the Excavations Office on the day you visit. So, I took a picture of the confirmation email with my phone to have it available in case there were any questions.
Vatican Scavi Tour Basics
Considerations
- The tour is underground beneath the basilica. So, the temperature may be higher with more humidity than at ground level.
- Walking surfaces are uneven and there are stairs
- Some areas are close which may be difficult for those with claustrophobia
Where to go to Begin the Tour
Tours start at the Excavations Office where you pick up your ticket and meet your guide. To get there go along the left colonnade (when facing the basilica).
You enter through the Holy Office Gate which is at the end of Via Paolo VI. Here you pass through a police security check point.
Once through, ask the Swiss Guard to direct you to the Excavations Office. You’ll go across an open area, pass through a smaller gate, and the Excavations Office will be on the right.
You need to arrive at least 10 minutes before your tour begins. If you are early and have time, look for a plaque on the ground outside the Excavations Office. This marks the original location of the obelisk that is now in St. Peter’s Square.
You are outside the main tourist areas, and it is especially important to follow any directions you are given. For example, before my tour, a few of us were waiting outside.
Security began clearing the area and directed us to quickly go into the Excavations Office. Soon a motorcade went by transporting the pope. So, we had a wonderful, unexpected bonus to start the tour.
Vatican Scavi Tour Rules
- You can not take pictures during the tour
- You can not bring bulky objects such as backpack, suitcases, large bags
- Shoulders must be covered
- Women must wear trousers or skirts/dresses that fall below the knees
- Men must wear trousers
- You must have valid identification
This tour is an amazing experience. Use the information here to increase your chance for the unique opportunity to visit this holy place. Also, check here to learn more about visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and Dome (see Rome, Day 1).
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