The Vatican Museums hold a treasure to be discovered in active and creative ways thanks to the extraordinary richness and variety of the art collections, which embrace the history of human civilization, from the Ancient Egyptians and Etruscans to the Greeks and Romans, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance up to contemporary times. Schools can choose a didactic activity which is compatible with the school syllabus.
Of note among the educational initiatives launched are the collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, for the realisation of the project Drawing in the Museums and the partnership with the Italian National Association of Art History Teachers (ANISA) for the planning of training seminars for teachers at the Pope’s Museums.
In 2015, with the exceptional opening to the public of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, the Papal Palace becomes, for the first time in history, also accessible to primary and secondary schools, which will thus be able to visit, with the valuable aid of a multilingual audio guide, the Historical Collections, the Papal Apartment, the Secret Garden, the Garden of the Moor and the various exhibitions set up in the museum areas of the Palace. The Vatican Specola (the Pope's astronomical observatory) and the Antiquarium of Villa Barberini are also open and accessible to students, thanks to a special combined guided tour.