A closer look
Vatican City is an independent city-state enclaved within Rome, making it the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population. Despite being holy ground, its museum operates like a chaotic mosh pit where thousands of sweaty tourists are herded through endless, un-air-conditioned hallways filled with priceless Renaissance art. By the time you finally reach the Sistine Chapel, you are so exhausted and dehydrated that you barely even care about Michelangelo's majestic ceiling. You just want to sit down, but the terrifying Italian security guards will aggressively shush you and force you toward the exit, making your spiritual awakening feel more like a forced march through a very pretty cattle chute
