Vatican City (Rome) – Free Audio Guide

In this free audio guide, you will learn about the holy Vatican City (Rome). The Vatican City is located in the center of Rome, Italy. is a landlocked independent country, within Rome, Italy. It’s the smallest country in the world (by area and population) and the only absolute monarchy in Europe.

Vatican City – Free Audio Guide

Vatican City (or officially: the Vatican City State) is a landlocked independent country, within Rome, Italy. It’s the smallest country in the world (by area and population) and the only absolute monarchy in Europe.
In this audio guide, we will talk about the most unique country in the world – Vatican City, its history, how it functions, what you can see and do there, exciting facts, and of course travel tips.

The name Vatican City was first used in 1929, which established the modern city-state, named after the geographic location – Vatican Hill within the city of Rome. The word “Vatican” itself is derived from the name of an Etruscan settlement, Vatica (or Vaticum).

The total area of Vatican City is just a half of square kilometer (or 0.19 square miles). And the population (as of 2023) is just 764 residents. It’s the smallest country in the world. But it has all the attributes of an independent country: flag, anthem, state emblem, government, economy, police, diplomacy, etc. 

Useful Takeaways from the Vatican City Audio Guide

• The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world both by territory and population.
• At the same time, the St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest Christian church in the world.
• The same is true about Vatican Museums – they are among the world’s largest and most significant art collections. 
• It’s the only independent state in the world that is entirely surrounded by another country (Italy).
• The Vatican is officially a Unitary theocratic Catholic elective absolute monarchy. It’s the only absolute monarchy in Europe and 1 of 13 absolute monarchies in the world.
• The Pope is elected on a papal conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
• Vatican City has no hospitals, schools, or commercial businesses. As a result, it has no permanent residents. The only people who reside there are Vatican citizens, who are primarily clergy and diplomats.
• Latin is the official language of Vatican City, used for official documents and religious services. However, Italian is also widely spoken and used in daily life.
• Vatican City has its own postal service and issues its own postage stamps. Collecting Vatican stamps is a popular hobby among philatelists.
• -The Swiss Guard, with its distinctive Renaissance-style uniforms, is responsible for the security of Vatican City and the Pope. It is one of the oldest and smallest standing military forces in the world.
• Vatican City has no prison system. Under the terms of the Lateran Treaty (1929), Italy will, at the request of the Holy See, punish individuals for crimes committed within Vatican City
• In the center of St. Peter’s Square there is a more than 4 thousand-year-old original Egyptian Obelisk.