Random Strict Rules Everyone At The Vatican Must Follow (12 items)

• 

  (#6) No Food Or Drinks Allowed

  If you're planning a visit to the Vatican, make sure that you either eat ahead of time or plan on buying something from the refreshment area or one of the museum's vending machines. You won't be allowed to bring any kind of food or drink in with you, and you can't consume anything in the exhibition halls. If you did bring food with you, you can check it in the cloakroom. They'll even store alcohol for you. Just make sure that you collect it before you leave; at the end of the day, all food and drinks in the cloakroom are destroyed.
• 

  (#4) You Can't Draw Without Permission

  Flash photography is prohibited inside the Vatican - but so is sketching. Unless you have special permission, you aren't allowed to draw inside the city. Due to a special agreement, permission is always granted to students in the Rome Academy of Fine Arts. Otherwise, it's given on a case-by-case basis.
• 

  (#3) Photography Is Allowed, But Restricted

  In most parts of the Vatican, you are allowed to take photographs for personal use - with a few restrictions. You can't use flash photography, and you can't use selfie sticks or tripods.

  In the Sistine Chapel, however, no photography whatsoever is permitted. If a guard sees you taking a picture anyway, they can and will insist that you delete it. Why? It's not due to concerns over accidental flashes damaging the art. Instead, it originally had to do with the chapel's restoration. When the Vatican began the massive undertaking in the 1980s, they decided to solicit outside funding. Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan gave $4.2 million to restore the Sistine Chapel, with one condition: in exchange, Nippon TV gained exclusive rights to photography and video of the restored artwork.

  Nippon's rights to the Sistine Chapel have expired, but the Vatican continues to enforce their no photography rule anyway.
• 

  (#2) Some Items (Including Coats) Can't Be Stored In The Cloakroom

  The Vatican offers a free cloakroom where you can store items that aren't allowed on the grounds. They'll even store bottles of alcohol and food, a service that you won't find in many American cloakrooms.

  There are a few things that they won't store, though. Some items are simply too much of a liability; no one at the Vatican wants to be responsible for your cash, jewelry, or electronics. Others are a little more confusing. For example, you can't store your coat or jacket in the cloakroom, and the Vatican's rules don't specify why.
• 

  (#8) Guide Dogs Are Allowed (But Must Be Announced In Advance)

  In general, the Vatican doesn't allow animals on the premises. Exceptions are made for guide dogs for blind or partially-sighted people. Visitors intending to bring a guide dog have to inform the Vatican of this at least a day in advance. The dogs also need to be muzzled and leashed.
• 

  (#7) You Can't Bring In Weapons (Even If You're A Cop)

  No weapons are allowed into the Vatican under any circumstances. This prohibition extends to people with valid gun licenses; the right to private gun ownership is not guaranteed under Vatican City law, a fact that might be surprising to some Americans. The rule also applies to police officers. Weapons aren't allowed in the cloakroom either, so armed visitors are typically refused entry entirely.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking