Apostolic Palace
The pope actually lives here, on the top floor of the same palace that holds the Sistine Chapel.
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The working papal residence, reoccupied by Pope Leo XIV in March 2026 after Francis lived elsewhere. Its rooms wrap the Courtyard of Sixtus V and hold the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and centuries of art in one connected complex.
What to look for
- Bramante's Loggias, decorated by Raphael with 52 biblical scenes
- Bernini's Scala Regia, the Regal Staircase
- The Borgia Apartments, where Pinturicchio's 1490s frescoes share walls with modern religious art added in 1973
Reached through the Vatican Museums; the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms are the public route, while the papal apartments stay closed.
Apostolic Palace is one of 40 sights worth the detour in Rome, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Rome pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Rome
- Vatican CityThe world's smallest sovereign state fits in 44 hectares — you cross its border by stepping over a white line.
- ColosseumAround 50,000 Romans packed this stone oval to watch spectacles staged over a two-level warren of cages beneath the arena floor.
- St. Peter's BasilicaThe world's largest church, built directly over the grave believed to hold St. Peter's bones.
- Sistine ChapelMichelangelo painted the ceiling standing up, not on his back — and cardinals still elect the pope in this room.
- PantheonA 1,900-year-old concrete dome with a hole punched in the top — when it rains in Rome, it rains inside too.
- Stadio OlimpicoOne 70,634-seat bowl, two cross-town tenants: AS Roma and SS Lazio both play here.