Ten Vatican City Facts That May Surprise You

If you have ever been to the Vatican, you’ve obviously walked around St Peter’s Square, visited the beautiful St Peter’s Basilica, and walked through the endless rooms of the Vatican Museum to reach the famous Sistine Chapel. All breathtaking. memorable experiences, without a doubt.

But there is more to Vatican City that might surprise you. Although I have been there at least seven or eight times, I am still learning new things about Vatican City. So, I decided to share ten of these with you, in case you are like me and are always learning.

Did you know that…

1. The Vatican claims to have the world’s smallest population. Between 800 and 900 residents live within Vatican City, and most of Vatican City’s population consists of Catholic clergy and nuns. Only 5.5% of the population is female. A few hundred laypersons who engage in service, trade, domestic, and secretarial careers also live here.

2. It is also the smallest independent country in the world, with only 0.17 square miles, or one-eighth the size of NYC’s Central Park. It is located entirely within Rome, and you can easily walk across it in less than an hour.

3. Vatican City did not become a sovereign nation until 1929, through the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy.

4. Although the official working language in Vatican City is Italian, Latin is the official language of the Holy See, or the Pope. So, it may surprise you to know that the Vatican Bank offers an ATM option with instructions entirely in Latin.

5. Vatican City residents consume the most wine per capita, 74 liters a year. The high numbers may be deceiving since quite a bit of the consumption is related to celebratory Communion wine when members in the congregation participate. This number also reflects the easy access to duty-free wine in the city’s single supermarket, where tourists often shop.

6. The Vatican has its own football team, and its official named is FC Guardia. Made up entirely of Swiss Guards, they train at the grounds of Campo Pio XI, just outside Vatican City. In the Vatican championship, a yearly test of strength, the FC Guardia compete against other Vatican teams, including the police and museum attendants.

7. Inside St. Peter’s Basilica, there are hardly any paintings, only mosaics. The single painting is by Pietro da Cortona and is in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It is a portrayal of the Holy Trinity. To better withstand aging the altar oil paintings have all been replaced by mosaics, and you would not realize it if you didn’t know. The above photo above the altar of Saint Joseph is a mosaic created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio and blessed in 1963, reproducing an original painting by Milanese artist Achille Funi.

8. The Vatican has its own post office, and it’s located just outside St Peter’s Square. Poste Vaticane is open to anyone who wishes to send mail, either within or outside Vatican City. It’s open daily except Sundays and is more dependable and quicker than the Italian post office.

9. Citizenship is not permanent and there is no such status as lifelong residency. Citizenship and housing last the duration of a person’s official work contract. While close to 2500 people work here daily, the majority return to their homes in Rome each night.

10. The Vatican also has its own radio network: Vatican Radio in Italian and Radio Vaticana in Latin. More than 200 journalists report from 61 countries worldwide to be broadcast in 47 languages. It was established by none other than the famous Guglielmo Marconi.  

How many times have you been to Vatican City? I love feedback, so please leave a comment.   Grazie and Ciao

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In case you haven’t checked out my Italy travel books, they are available on Amazon and Audible. Enjoy!