Vatican City’s Hidden Buildings 

We'll be back to hard-hitting videos on mega cities, zoning, street design, etc. soon, but I thought we could all use a little break with a fun topic! Enjoy!

If you're ever in Rome and you want to send a letter internationally, use the Vatican city postal service, it is much quicker and more efficient then the Italian postal service.

Italy has an exclave, Campione d'Italia, a small village/town surrounded by Switzerland, if you feel like exploring more Italian weird citys

Speaking of small places that function like cities, I've been curious for some time about what we can learn from college campuses and universities. I know a lot of them have their own post office, residence halls, gardeners/waste management/utilities, security, recreation centers and government in the form of presidents/administration. Some even have bus systems!

Fun family facts: About 800 people now live in Vatican City, including 20 children from Swiss Guard families. Every day their parents bus them to and from the Swiss School of Rome, which is located just northeast of city center near Sapienza University. Guards can marry once they've served for five years.

My Computer Science professor who teaches AI, and hacking is a practicing priest. He got his doctorate from Carnegie Mellon so hes no ordinary computer scientist. Its not shocking to find people of science in the chuch. They're often required to have a 4 year degree before brotherhood so my university has priests who are engineers, pilots, astrophysicists, biologists, chemists, etc..

I was lucky enough back in 1997 during the Christmas Season to be able to have lunch on Vatican grounds everyday for 2 weeks. On the grounds is the Ethiopian College. I contacted the head of the college and told him I would like to learn more about the college and the Ethiopian Catholic Church. So just by asking I was able to go everyday for lunch and I was lucky enough to get tickets for Midnight Mass too. Every clerical group has an "EMBASSY" to the Holy See and I contacted one of the Congragations from my Church (I am a Maronite) and they let me stay for free (I did give a donation) for the two weeks I was there. I was told that if people wished to see Rome, Italy, etc. they should contact monasteries and convents to see if they take in guest for a reduced fee.

7:45 Mispronunciation on "Gendarmarie." -- no hard G on that in English, Italian, or Ecclesiastical Latin.

It's gendarmerie (soft G), not gandarmerie. It literally means "men-at-arms" in French.

I used to work in Vatican City over 30 years ago… I can confirm petrol was way cheaper than in Rome, it was one of the perks of working there. But then I also remember having to buy stacks of Timberland for my friends and getting endless supplied of medicines for my auntie… Good times 😢

I was a resident of the Vatican City State for four years. The Vatican City State has various other buildings scattered around Rome including Saint Paul's Basilica, Saint Paul's School, The Beda College etc. The Vatican City State also contains the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. They are not part of Italy as it says in this video. Best wishes.

I've just returned from Rome. Your video popped up, as a notification, which made me interested in a place I'd never given a second thought. We booked the tickets with 48 hours. Absolutely wonderful trip.

This video is exceptionally researched and I can confirm pretty much all of it. I lived in Rome.

The science institute is not surprising at all. The Church was one of the biggest funders of science back in the day. Only people who are not familiar with the history of the Church or science for that matter will be shocked about this discovery

But do they have an Amazon fulfilment centre? Also, if you are ever visiting the Vatican don't just bee-line to the Sistine Chapel like so many do. Some of the other stuff in the museum is amazing. Personal favourite is the Raphael loggia. Better than the Sistine IMO.

You mentioned the Vatican soccer team and now i want to see the cardinals face each other on the pitch and have Pope Francis go full Messi

Another great city/town to check out is louvain-la-neuve in Belgium it is a university town that also has permanent residents, shopping mall, police station, clinique, hotels, cinema eventhough it is a Catholic uni (UC Louvain) there is also a mosque. This was a planned city in the 70s after french speaking students were chased out of KU Leuven (dutch speaking uni in Leuven). It is unique in Belgium as most unis are inside a city and only cater to students needs.

I'm realky surprised nobody has mentioned absolutely perfect hat throw at 11:18. Somebody landed a forward-facing hat, perfectly on centerline and slightly up front on the popemobile. It's amazing, and it looks like it's wearing the hat!

Anyone else checking the comments just to see if Pope Francis answered his questions?

Growing up in Rome, friends who had the ability to shop inside the Vatican duty free were a hot commodity, as they frequently abused that privilege to get you some sweet tax-free goodies

I'm Italian (born and raised near and in Rome), I've been following you for a couple of years now and i would like to thank you for this interesting video😍. If you have time you could cover San Marino as well, our other notsomuchspokenabout enclave

I had the opportunity to walk around the Gardens (which are closed in the afternoon when the Pope walks there). So beautiful with the sculptures and fountains! Now security is tighter and you can go only on a bus tour.

Super fun video, you should branch out this topic and cover other smaller governments like principalities!

Wow, a city that has >50% green space, that's probably more than my country... The 6% parking space is a bit of a bummer though

I had the chance to see the behind the scenes of the Vatican City thanks to a friend of mine who is a Swiss guard there. Very interesting visit. I recommend it if you have a swiss guard friend...

* Jumps to comments to see whether Pope Francis has answered questions yet *

There’s also a numismatic shop there inside the Vatican selling vatican coins

Never knew Vatican City started after a bike bell. Live and learn.

There are families of some of the Swiss Guard that live in the city, but the children are schooled outside the walls.

6% doesn't sound too bad compared to so many american cities!

There is actually a cafe for “locals.” It is tucked in at the courtyard of the Vatican library. It is mostly for scholars and workers. I often got my coffee there during my time spent at the library.

Next can you make a video about the other city state totally surrounded by Italy, San Marino

A very interesting and informative film! I remembered my trip to the Vatican again.

I’ve been inside the city in February, and I have to say that it was very interesting, I did not expect to find a whole city inside the Vatican I managed to arrange a private tour with a friend of mine who’s Swiss Guard. If you somehow know a Swiss Guard, you absolutely need to visit the city.

Fascinating. There's a lot more going on there than I realised!

Forgot to mention the Vatican City cricket team

Italy: Can you please pay us for wastewater? Vatican City: Can you turn it into wine? Italy: *...understandable, have a great day* Largest church? No thanks, I think we're good with our world's second-largest stadium and biggest gymnastics display. Where else can you board a captured US spy ship?

To be honest, the fact that there is a supermarket in Vatican is really surprising for me

That was a smooth transition to the ad, bravo.

Excellent video. I'm Italian and keen on documentaries, but i've never seen the Vatican being dissected so well.

didn’t expect to learn that the pope drives an ancient Renault 4 from a city plannning channel

You missed the court house. Directly between St. Peter's and the train station.

wow imagine 6% of the land area of your entire country just being dedicated to parking that's crazy aha

Fascinating video, thank you so much! 👍

You should a video about the wekerle estate in hungary, it has a very interesting history and a very interesting movement was created after that (it is called the "garden city movement"). it'll interest a lot of people that follow you channel!

Didn't realize there was a train station there. Vatican City is definitely worth the trip (especially if you're Catholic)!

Thank you for this video. Very informative.

Actually, there is a canteen for the staff on the grounds of Vatican City. Quite near the pharmacy, I think.

Forget walkable neighborhoods, now introducing walkable countries!

These videos fascinate me endlessly, there's just something about seeing a building highlighted on a Google Maps screenshot and learning that it's an old train station or postal office serving a few hundred people. Even more interesting are the spots that are simply unknown, even though they're located in the middle of a major capital city. I could watch you explain the logistics and infrastructure of all kinds of facilities, campuses, city-states and military installations all day.

Very very engaging little clip which really covered quite a few of the aspects which have never occurred to me(and which I've neither seen nor read about elsewhere) like the sewage! Just a tiny, tiny point - as we are all learning and discovering - "gendarmerie" is mainly a French word and the first sound is the same as the "s" in "pleasure" (often represented as "zh") or the Italian version "gendarmeria" where the first sound would be similar, but more like the "g" in "gentle" or the "j" in "juice" - rather than the first sound of "get".... Anyway thank you again for an angle on The Vatican I've not seen before!

As the Vatican City is kind of a microcosm, it would be interesting to hear about other microcosms which aren't quite a city on their own, but which have so many different facilities not directly linked to the actual purpose of the location. Would be very interesting to hear about them in a seperate video. I can think of e.g. 1) universities which often have anything from sports grounds to postal office, library to motor sports teams. 2) airports with malls, convention centers, local and long distance public transit hub, office space, doctor's offices, brewery, car test tracks and even their own hospital 3) hospitals which might have their own church, fire department, postal office, large scale kitchen 4) industrial sites which have their own power plants, Security / EMS / Fire & Rescue / Environment Protection services, pipelines, airfields, rail yards

Can you do a video on the forbidden city in Beijing ?

Reminds me of the Old City Jerusalem. Squarish, about one square mile, walled, the Temple on the right side edge.

Another great city/town to check out is louvain-la-neuve in Belgium it is a university town that also has permanent residents, shopping mall, police station, clinique, hotels, cinema eventhough it is a Catholic uni (UC Louvain) there is also a mosque.

It would be nice a video like this about Monaco, because it has so much going on in a small space too

Not criticizing doctrine here, but for an organization valued at 30 billion, not paying for water treatment is pretty tacky.

It is so funny that England, a country that's not even Catholic, gets the biggest garden by a long shot, as well as the only remaining school being Ethiopian, another non-Catholic country

Interesting but not 100% accurate - you missed the on-site hospital. I worked on an IT project at the Vatican Bank about 20 years ago, and one day suffered from some severe chest pains. I was placed in a small conference room and within 5 minutes a paramedic and a nurse (who was a nun) arrived. I was placed in a wheelchair and taken down in a private lift to a waiting ambulance. This drove me not much more than 100 yards to the hospital, that is loacted opposite the entrance to the pharmacy and within the walls of the complex. I had x-rays and scans, conducted by the nuns, then taken to the pharmacy by a Swiss guard for some tablets, and was able to return to work. All of this was within the confines of Vatican City complex. I was told the hospital has all modern facilities and is there to care for any medical emergencies that are suffered by Popes and visiting or resident cardinals (who of course tend to be elderly). It was an unforgettable experience!

Excellent & fascinating video. 12:56 advertising starts.

You should do a video on the City of London

I accidentally broke a chain (by sitting on it) at one of the Vatican cafes adjacent to the Vatican Gardens. They weren't doing any tours at the time, but since the chain was broken, it appeared as though the gardens were open for tour. I saw a couple begin an exploration of the gardens, only to be escorted out an hour later. Very glad my mistake gave them that opportunity.

Is that last one you mentioned where they figured out how long to make the Gregorian calendar, or was that in a different place in Rome?

simply a wonderful video and amazingly narrated. please step on me.

I would have thought that there would be plenty of schools for boys at Vatican City....

Love the city inside city video. I think LA cities (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, WeHo, Culver City, Etc) inside city of LA could all have a combo video as it’s interesting what they do on their own versus what City of La provides

Please make more videos like this on other cities

I'd love some more videos on microstates! andorra, liechtenstein and san marino come to mind

Swiss guard has a bar where John Paul the second wood on occasion Cher a beer with his guardsmen. Corporals and up on the Swiss guard allowed to be married with permission in many times they are given apartments to live with their families including children. I thought there were students going to school in the Vatican, they were the altar boys and their official hobby is beekeeping with the wax that the bees make their bed into candles form masses at the Vatican and there are a lot of them. Back in the mornings before they go to school they hang out in their waiting room right next to the sacristy‘s and they are video games for them to play. The officially are in a pre-seminary so they don’t have to continue studying for the priesthood they can quit and date and eventually Mary if they want. You missed the area where the Swiss guard practice parading, fighting and the Swiss guard band practice is playing. But still he did a better job than I in lifting all of the different areas of the Vatican

Also another thing that many people might not realize is that many of the priests and staffs in the Vatican also has other jobs outside their Religious occupation. Many even have master or professor degrees.

Amazing video just learned something from this video

Thanks a million for your information, God bless you and your loved ones at home- Anacleto De Souza of Soncrem Shiroda Ponda Goa-India.

*Vatican City is just doing the one tile challenge in Cities Skylines...* "The Pope even gets around by car once in a while, driving an old 1984 Renault 4" But why be in a Virgin vintage Renault 4, when you can be in a CHAD Popemobile instead? Last I checked, a Renault 4 didn't appear in a Pixar movie. The Popemobile is the best part about Cars 2, the only thing that made the movie watchable.

I hope you do more of these city-state videos.

Good timing. My family is travelling in Rome at the moment.

Please do San Marino and Campione d’Italia next.

The wives of the Swiss Guard also live in the Vatican, and they have the privilege of accessing the non-public areas of the Vatican.

Please do more city-state videos. I'd like one about Monaco.

This is. a fascinating (and fun!!!) video! Who knew all of this?

Howdy and greetings from Atlanta! When I was younger I wanted to be a priest and in sixth grade I had the opportunity to study at the Vatican on a scholarship. I could not tell you where the school would have been, its over 35 years ago. Not going is one of my biggest regrets.

A video on sacred geometry in cities from a city planning perspective would be so interesting and unique! The YT documentary Secrets in Plain Sight blew my mind, and I will never see cities the same again. It's so interesting how European and American cities installed Egyptian obelisks (DC, Paris, London, Vatican), and how there are certain shapes, measurements, and proportions embedded in the design of these cities, which originate from ancient civilizations. I know City Beautiful would make an awesome video on this topic, and maybe just a little less conspiracy theory-ish than the documentary.

Great video! I would love to see one about floating cities and seasteading! That would be so cool!

I work at Enel, nice to see those Enel X Charging Stations

Great video 👍

Does the Popemobile need to renew its license plate stickers?

There are also cemeteries in Vatican City; they are off limits to visitors but if you are German you are allowed to visit the Campo Santo Teutonico

Vatican city state has got some exclaves: the largest Is the papal villa of Castelgandolfo (as large as the Vatican), the three main Basilicas in Rome (Santa Maria Maggiore, San Paolo fuori le mura, San Giovanni in laterano) plus some buildings. Grets, i live close to the Vatican.

Loved this! Please do more videos like these on other regions like those tiny islands in the ocean

You forgot San Damaso Courtyard, where the pope usually hosts public audience events there and also, every May 6th the Pontifical Swiss Guard (The Vatican's Military) will host an oath ceremony for the swearing in of new guardsmen where they will hold their flag raised their arm, pointing out 3 fingers representing the holy trinity vowing to serve and protect his holiness the pope in their native language (German, French, Italian etc.)

Did you know that Vatican City actually has a national football team? They don't even have a football field and none of the members were born in Vatican City (they're mostly like employees or whatever) but they still have an international team. They also host a tournament for clergymen lol

Awesome place to visit

PLEASE make a video about the streets of Lake Havasu City Arizona

You should do St. Pierre and Miquelon, it is a city sized island exclave of France off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada

6:31 We sure hope so

I so want to visit Vatican City someday!

SINGAPORE! This is a wonderful video and is a chance to cover more city-states such as Monaco, Spain's Exclaves in Morocco, etc.

May God bless and protect the Holy Father...

Could you do san marino

wow this was an amamzing video

That boundary looks very much looks like a Star Fort at one time.