Vatican Early Morning Clavigero Tour

Tour Description

In the museum and art showcasing industry a lot of contemplation goes in addressing questions such as ‘How to look at art?’ and ‘How to experience a museum?’Is there a right way to do it? Or are there many ‘ways of seeing’ (as famous art critic John Berger would put it). 

We offer you to experiment with your own ideals of how to experience a museum by deciding to witness a very special, intimate event that occurs every morning at the Vatican which is the unlocking of the museums through the sacred key set that opens every door. 

The clavigero is the term for the custodian who has been handed this important task. Gianni Crea has been handling this responsibility with a set of close to 3000 keys for the past six years. It is a delicate job to carry out, with around five hundred doors to be opened. 

As you follow the clavigeri during this solemn rite, notice how the experience of the Vatican museums transforms as you flow from room to room, not exactly to stop to learn about the art but to perform a ritual, and so notice how the art and the architecture, the colors, the images, the sculptures and the textures you encounter all pass by like a stream and mesh into one another. 

Witness in silence the doors of the museum being opened at 6 AM

You meet and acknowledge the clavigero, and then step back to let him and his team (called the clavigeri)  carry out their daily ritual- using the sacred keys to first open the entrance to the museum, initiating the daily invitation to the world to have the opportunity to see what it holds inside. You are present for this moment, it is meant to be soaked in with absolute awareness of this unusual situation.  

Traverse through the museum to watch each room come to life

Every gallery and  every room is ‘awakened’ by Gianni Crea and his team of custodians, and are greeted and acknowledged for their presence and grandeur. You too, play a central role in the awakening of this museum. At a particular stride and rhythm you will witness every space of the museum, your eyes gliding over all that makes the atmosphere of each room different from the rest: The Atrium of Four Gates; Scala Simonetti; the Pio Clementino Museum; Galleries of the Candelabra; Galleries of the Tapestries; Galleries of the Geographical Maps; the Raphael Rooms; Scala San Pio V and at last, the Sistine Chapel. 

Meditate, replenish your energy levels and continue on your way 

This tour will end at the Sistine Chapel as those are the last doors to be unlocked. You enter and are immediately immersed in a whirlpool of rich color and imagery, each wall painting and fresco intersecting to create a dome of color that envelops you. You have the space to actually wander around the chapel undisturbed by masses of tourists, to soak it in, to be able to rest in a contemplative mood while gazing over the space. 

Once you exit, you can replenish yourself outside with a breakfast in the Pinecone courtyard whilst still taking in the morning light and the different movements in the crisp, morning air. You can then decide to revisit the museum for a second round, and go back with the curiosity of uncovering what it was that particularly caught your eye during the clavigero tour. 

*Please note, shoulders and knees need to be covered during the tour. No vests, shorts, or skirts above the knee will be allowed inside the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.*