Vatican Walls

We finally managed to extricate ourselves from Saint Peter’s Basilica. It was a massive structure and it was well worth queuing up for a look at the huge structure. That wasn’t the only place to see in the Vatican City. The Vatican City is a sovereign state by itself but it is also considered the smallest one. How small? The entire state is within the city of Rome. There are no border controls here thankfully. The Vatican is a curious entity. It is essentially a monarchy within the city of Rome, but with the city state so small, there wasn’t much need for secular powers. The military is the Swiss Guard and they guard the gates around the Vatican. Even stranger was the fact that the Vatican is a walled city.

I didn’t know that the Vatican was a walled city but then if you think about it, it does make sense that it is. Most European cities were walled cities back in their day, the Vatican was likewise a walled city. As you might expect, the walls were for a defensive purpose back then when invasions were common. These days the walls are a relic of what was back then. It can still be seen as we make our way from Saint Peter’s Basilica to the Vatican Museum which seems to be some distance away.

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