On
the morning we were due to visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, my son lost his passport on an
ATAC bus in Rome. In seconds, he had no passport and no trousers to wear for
the Vatican. We had also missed our time slot.
Read
my other article on what happened after my son had lost his passport. This article’s
focus is on how I managed to see the Vatican against the odds.
I
believed the Vatican demanded a passport and appropriate clothing. My son’s trousers
and his passport were in his bag. Being mid-August, it was boiling and he was
wearing shorts. We spent the next few hours filing a police report at the Piazza
del Collegio Police Station. By the time the report was complete, we had missed
our slot to see the Vatican. I had booked the excursion direct from the Vatican
website. I wanted to skip the queue, have a guide and earphones. We were due to
fly back in two days’ time.
It
was about 4 pm by the time we had reached St Peter’s Square. My children were
fraught, hot and tired. I didn’t fancy my chances of getting in.
Still,
I had a go.
I
had a copy of the receipt from the Vatican Website and
made my way to the Information Center next to the Vatican Post Office. The
crowds were humongous but miraculously, I was able to speak to someone behind
the counter.
I
showed him the paperwork and explained (very humbly) that my son had lost his
passport this morning. I hadn’t been able to visit the Vatican at the slot
arranged.
He
was brilliant. He made some phone calls and arranged a later slot for me. Our
visit was to be at 7.30 pm that evening. He also provided his colleagues’ names.
He said so long as my son’s parent has a passport, he will be able to enter.
Still
concerned, I explained that my son has no trousers, only shorts. The man smiled
and said, it’s ok to wear shorts so long as they’re not thigh-high.
I
couldn’t believe my luck. I thought you needed cover-wear to enter the Vatican
and a passport. In fact, you don’t need a passport at all. And in the queue, I
saw lots of tourists wearing Bermuda shorts. It seems times have changed.
I
returned to the children and they were thrilled with the news. We milled around
for a few hours and had a snack. By 7.30 pm, we were in the queue. I
name-dropped at the doors and the usher let us in. No one looked at my passport
or cared my son’s shorts.
Read
about my visit to the Vatican in my next article.
Lesson Learnt
The
Vatican’s rules seem to have slackened. You can wear shorts so long as they are
not too short.
You
don’t need a passport to visit the Vatican.
Don’t
give up.
You
are not allowed to take photos of the Vatican Post Office (I got told off).
Read
all my articles on Rome on my Rome
a Survival Kit
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| My Booking with Vatican plus headphones |
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| Directions to the Vatican Entrance |
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| Tickets to see Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel |
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| Doorway to the Vatican |
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| The Vatican at Night |
