Late visits to Vatican Museums on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Vatican Museums will stay open late every Friday and Saturday evening from 14 April until 28 October 2023, the Vatican has announced.

The opening hours at the museums will be extended every Friday and Saturday until 22.30, with last entry at 20.30. From 6 May, the closing time on Saturdays will switch to 20.00, with the last entry at 18.00.

Online booking is mandatory and the initiative will be enriched with a special concert programme which is included in the ticket price.

There is also the option of enjoying a "happy hour" aperitivo in the Cortile della Pigna, with booking details available on the Vatican Museums website.

On 14 April the music band of the Vatican Gendarmerie and the national band of Italy's Guardia di Finanza will unite in a concert in the splendid Braccio Nuovo of the Chiaramonti Gallery.

"There is nothing more astonishing" - said Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums - "than to immerse oneself in the beauty of the Vatican collections illuminated by the moon that reflects the dome of St Peter's Basilica."

For full details including ticket prices see Vatican Museums website. Photo credit: Blue Planet Studio / Shutterstock.com