The Vatican City is hard to miss – its centrepiece, St Peter's Basilica, can be spotted from afar, towering over neighbouring buildings. It is a reminder to visitors that they've crossed the invisible confine that separates Rome from the ecclesiastical state.
To reach the Basilica, one need only walk down Via della Conciliazione, a broad road flanked by Fascist-era street lamps and centuries-old buildings. At its end, St Peter’s Square spreads out in a circle under the imposing dome of its eponymous church. But this wasn’t always the quickest route to the Basilica.
Before dictator Benito Mussolini ordered the construction of Via della Conciliazione – demolishing historical buildings and small alleys in the process – a narrow path, built atop what was originally a defensive wall, served as the most direct and safest line into the Catholic enclave.
Il passetto – Italian for small path – was built by Pope Nicholas III in the late 13th century. Some 10 metres high and just under one kilometre long, the open-air passage provided the perfect escape route from the papal residence to the fortified building of Castel Sant'Angelo, which sits beside the Tiber river, a short hop from the Vatican City.
But it wasn’t until 1377 that the secret expressway between Rome and the Vatican became critical. The Pope’s return to the city following a self-imposed exile in France and his decision to take up residence in the Basilica ruffled many a feather – but il passetto provided a safe exit strategy from outside attacks.
In 1494, Pope Alexander crossed into Rome through the passetto, when Charles VIII of France invaded the city. Less than half a century later, in 1527, Pope Clement VII also darted through the dark pathway to escape the brutal siege of Rome.
He hunkered down in Castel Sant'Angelo and survived the attack. In the year 2000, coinciding with the Church's Great Jubilee celebrations, the stone floor and bare walls of il passetto opened to the public. Curious visitors streaming in from all corners of the world were finally able to retrace the centuries-old route into the only city-state entirely designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Walking down the passetto, one can imagine what it may have been like for a 16th century pope fleeing probable lynching. Today, il passetto has been momentarily closed to the public while it is being renovated, to avoid its collapse.
But while the public waits for the reopening of this enthralling little corner of Vatican history, the city's innumerable sites are just a stone's throw away. Before you visit, take a look at our list of 10 interesting and quirky facts about the Vatican City.
How many tourists is too many tourists?
Though only 44km-squared in area, the tiny state overflows with history and intrigue – from its Biblical links (the Basilica is thought to have been built atop the tomb of Jesus's apostle St Peter) to priceless collections of art, including Michelangelo's Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel.
It's no surprise, then, that the Vatican attracts more tourists than anywhere else in the world, with more than six million each year. In 2018, the Vatican Museums considered putting a cap on the number of visitors, fearing that overcrowding could lead to a stampede throughout the 11km-long museum corridors. Even in the scorching Italian summers, the number of daily visitors can reach more than 30,000. Though awe-inspiring, the museum passages can easily become claustrophobic, particularly when they are at maximum capacity. Some tourists are known to have had panic attacks or fainted.
A city of foreigners
Home to just under 1,000 residents and with no births inside the city, the Vatican is the only place in the world with a 100 per cent expatriate population. Interestingly, the UAE is just second in line, with 88.4 of its population born outside the country.
Last week, during his three-day trip to Abu Dhabi, Pope Francis used his Homily to address the challenges of living abroad. “It is most certainly not easy for you to live far from home, missing the affection of your loved ones, and perhaps also feeling uncertainty about the future,” the pontiff said. “But the Lord is faithful and does not abandon his people.”
Latin is the official lingo
While Italian is the Vatican’s most commonly used language, Latin is the official one. Until 2011, ATMs inside the enclave had Latin language options – t
he machine’s opening screen read: Inserito scidulam quaeso ut faciundam cognoscas rationem. Quite literally: I ask that you insert [your] card in order that you come to understand the method needing to be used.
Unfortunately, the quirky setting was removed eight years ago, for unknown reasons.
UAE-Vatican ties
It wasn't until 2007 that the UAE and the Holy See established official diplomatic ties. The arrangement – made to strengthen international co-operation between the two – was followed a year later by the first high-level delegation. Former speaker of the Federal National Council, Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, visited the Vatican in 2008 and met with Pope Benedict XVI. This in turn paved the way for last week's historic visit by Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi.
The Swiss Guard
Visitors shouldn't be fooled into thinking the colourful, joker-like forces manning the papal resident are merely ceremonial. The Pontifical Swiss Guard is one of the world's most efficient and highly skilled military forces. Established in 1503, the members of the Swiss Guard were employed by Pope Julius II as his personal mercenaries, or body guards. Today the guard is comprised of 135 men – all of whom have to be Swiss, Catholic and at least 1.74 metres tall to be admitted.
Passport stamp
Unlike other independent enclaves, such as Andorra, the Vatican doesn’t offer a passport stamp. Visitors are free to walk in and out of the tiny state as many times as they wish, and no trace of their journey will be documented.
Pope Joan
A legend to some, a historical figure to others, Pope Joan is thought have been the first and only female to have ever ruled the Catholic Church. She did so by disguising herself as a man. She headed the church for a couple of years during the Middle Ages, before giving birth and dying shortly afterwards. Today, most historians dismiss Joan as a fictional character. But for many, it is still an intriguing part of an institution steeped in patriarchy.
Vatican Athletics
In January, 60 Holy See runners – including Swiss Guards, priests, nuns and pharmacists – became the first accredited members of the Vatican Athletics, with the aim of competing in the Olympics. The Church has a long-standing tradition of promoting sports as an instrument of peace and solidarity. In 1972, they founded the Vatican City national football team. Their first match, in 1985, was against a representative of Austrian journalists. The Vatican won 3-0.
The shortest railway in the world
The Vatican City isn’t just the smallest state in the world, it also houses the shortest national railway system in the world. The main tracks of the Ferrovia Vaticana, or Vatican Railway, are just 300 metres long and were built under the reign of Pope Pius XI.
The construction of the tracks and station followed the signing of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, in which the Italian government recognised the Vatican as an independent state.
The station opened in 1934 and connects the Vatican to San Pietro station, just outside the Vatican walls. Thanks to an initiative by Pope Francis, tourists can now buy tickets for the train.
Something to write home about
The Vatican post office is ranked among the world’s best. Founded in 1929, more letters are sent each year from its postcode than anywhere else. In fact, many Italians are said to make the trip to Vatican City just to use the service.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
THREE
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Specs
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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5