Wender·Vista
Vatican City
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVatican City
an enclave inside Rome, on the right bank of the Tiber

Vatican City

— — a country the size of a long walk.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Forty-nine hectares, walled, with about 500 citizens and a basilica that holds twenty thousand. Bernini's colonnade reaches out from St Peter's like a pair of open arms; the obelisk in the centre of the square was raised in 1586. Pilgrims fill the cobbles by mid-morning. By dusk the square empties and the dome above Michelangelo's design carries the last of the light. from the studio

from the studio
Vatican City
— bring it home

Vatican City, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Vatican City

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Vatican City State is the smallest sovereign country in the world by both area and population, 49 hectares with about 500 citizens. It lies on the right bank of the Tiber in Rome, surrounded by Italian territory and bounded by medieval and Renaissance walls. The state was established in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy. It is the seat of the Pope and the central governance of the Catholic Church. The territory includes St Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican Museums, and the Vatican Gardens.

— the stone

St Peter's Basilica was begun in 1506 and consecrated in 1626, with designs carried forward by Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini across more than a century. Michelangelo's dome rises 136 metres above the basilica floor, the tallest dome in the world by that measure. Bernini's elliptical colonnade, completed in 1667, holds 284 travertine columns and 140 statues of saints along the upper balustrade. The Egyptian obelisk at the centre of the square was brought to Rome by Caligula in 37 AD and raised in its current position in 1586.

— the visit

Entry to St Peter's Basilica and the square is free; security lines are shortest before 8:30 AM. The Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, require a timed ticket booked through the official museums portal and close most Sundays except the last of each month, when admission is free. The papal general audience is held on Wednesday mornings in St Peter's Square or the Paul VI Audience Hall, with free tickets requested in advance through the Prefecture of the Papal Household. A modest dress code applies throughout: shoulders and knees covered.

— where
Vatican City · Vatican City
— elevation
19 m · 62 ft
— position
41.9029° N · 12.4534° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km E
Castel Sant'Angelo
Hadrianic mausoleum and fortress
2 km E
Pantheon
Roman temple
3 km E
Trevi Fountain
Baroque fountain
N
Vatican City
Castel Sant'Angelo
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Vatican City — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Vatican City covers 49 hectares, about 0.49 square kilometres. It is the smallest sovereign country in the world by area, and also by population, with roughly 500 citizens including the Swiss Guard.

On 11 February 1929, under the Lateran Treaty signed between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. The treaty resolved the so-called Roman Question that had stood since the unification of Italy in 1870.

Michelangelo's dome rises 136 metres above the basilica floor, the tallest dome in the world by interior height. The lantern at the top sits 132.5 metres above the surrounding piazza.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, between 1656 and 1667. The elliptical colonnade holds 284 travertine columns arranged in four rows and is topped by 140 statues of saints along the upper balustrade.

Yes. The Sistine Chapel sits within the Apostolic Palace and is reached at the end of the Vatican Museums circuit. Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 and the Last Judgement wall from 1536 to 1541.

Yes. The square and basilica are open daily and free to enter, subject to security and dress code. The museums require a timed ticket. The gardens and Apostolic Palace require a guided tour booking.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers who walked the square or attended a papal audience. A Small on a study shelf or a Medium in an entryway reads as a quiet daily reminder.

The tile settles into traditional Catholic rooms, warm classical interiors, and jewel-tone maximalist walls. The travertine creams and deep blues read well against walnut, plaster, and oxblood-painted accents.

Yes. A single deliberate piece of sacred place over a console or in a study is a steady current in our customer base. A Medium is the most common size for that placement.

A single Large sits well above a console or a narrow sofa. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural holds the proportion; for a long wall in a chapel or library, the 9-tile Mural carries the field.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installation in showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms. Glossy is reserved for framed wall pieces.

A dry microfibre cloth for daily dust; a damp microfibre with plain water for anything more. Skip abrasives and ammonia cleaners. The colour lives in the surface and wants no scrubbing.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed in or sub-contracted out; Reid curates the atlas and the studio finishes each tile by hand.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.