Vatican City with St. Peters Basilica Jul 23, 2025

Vatican City with St. Peters Basilica

In the middle of Rome, Italy, lies an entire country of its own: Vatican City. At just 121 acres, it"s the smallest independent nation in the world, yet its reach spans centuries and continents. Home to the pope and the spiritual center of the Roman Catholic Church, this walled enclave is a blend of art, history, and devotion. At its core stands St. Peter"s Basilica. Seen in the distance in today"s image, this Renaissance masterpiece is built over what is believed to be the tomb of St. Peter, the first bishop of Rome. With its soaring dome dominating the skyline, the basilica is one of the largest churches in the world. Just beyond the basilica lies St. Peter"s Square, where thousands gather for papal blessings. The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, which houses Michelangelo"s famed ceiling, are other must-sees. Despite its size, Vatican City has its own postal service, telephone system, and banking system.

© RudyBalasko/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 23, 2018Tokyo welcomes a futuristic new art museum
Jul 23, 2019A state-of-the-art lookout on the Rock of Gibraltar
Jul 23, 2020At the foot of Dubrovnik s Gibraltar
Jul 23, 2021Let the games (finally) begin!
Jul 23, 2022National Moth Week
Jul 23, 2023Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messenia, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 20, 2022Pollinator Week
Apr 12, 2018Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
Jun 11, 2020A midsummer twilight s dream
Apr 14, 2018It’s National Dolphin Day!
Dec 7, 2018Honoring our fallen heroes
May 11, 2018Celebrating Minnesota’s statehood
Oct 22, 2021Jasper Dark Sky Festival
Aug 25, 2022National Park Service Founders Day
Jun 12, 2022Big Bend National Park turns 78
Oct 14, 2024Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
Mar 7, 2021Finding a balance between wetlands and water treatment
Aug 26, 2023Museum Night in Berlin
Jan 1, 2024Happy New Year!
Nov 1, 2019The National Museum of the American Indian
Oct 18, 2020Sitka shines on Alaska Day
Feb 20, 2023Presidents Day
Feb 7, 2018The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
Nov 21, 2025World Hello Day
Oct 19, 2022Wartburg Castle overlooking Thuringian Forest in Germany
Oct 23, 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard
Sep 3, 2022Skyscraper Day
Jul 4, 2020Happy Independence Day!
Aug 15, 2023Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eaters, Bardia National Park, Nepal
Sep 4, 2018What the hay?
Oct 15, 2021Autumn in the Prosecco Hills
Mar 26, 2024Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
Apr 16, 2018The Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique
Jan 2, 2023Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany
May 29, 2025Miravet, Catalonia, Spain