If you’re planning to take a trip to Rome, Italy, the Vatican will undoubtedly be on your itinerary. When you go, take along ItalyGuides: Vatican Museum Tour, from ComPart Multimedia. It’s a pocket tour guide that will help you navigate through the Vatican’s many museums and treasures with the least amount of wear on your shoes and lower back.
The tour begins with nearly 5-minute audio (and text, if you like) presentation that explains the origins of the Vatican’s many museums, which were created over more than 20 centuries.
Navigating from one room or museum to the next is simple. Tapping on one of 18 topics or places – indicated by numbers – on the interactive map brings up the site’s name. A second tap brings up audio, text or a combination of the two, which details the room or museum’s rich history. You’ll need a guidebook or a real tour guide if you really want to know more details about the art and architecture on display.
You can view the museums and sights as a list, by 3D map or top-down view. There’s also an animation of a suggested walking tour and general information about opening and closing hours and a link to the official Vatican Web site where you can buy tickets.
The Sistine Chapel is perhaps the most sought-after stop on the Vatican Museum tour, but every room is rich in history, according to ItalyGuides: Vatican Museum Tour’s developers. Other sights to see and hear on your iPhone or iPod touch include Raphaels’s room, the Pio-Clementino Museum and Pinacoteca, which houses paintings from Leonardo Da Vinci, Giotto and other titans. There are 18 stops along the tour.
There are 170 photos and 2 hours of audio content in all. You can play, pause, fast forward and rewind audio, ala iPod. For the best listening experience, wear your earphones.
The app is $4.99, which is a 50-per cent off, limited time offer, ComPart says in its App Store description.
ItalyGuides: Vatican Museum is a good deal at a discounted price. I wish I’d had it when I visited the Vatican years ago. I would have seen and learned far more than I did on my own, even with my knowledgeable friend who showed me around.
