Borgia Apartments

Alexander VI had six rooms decorated by Pinturicchio and his workshop between 1492 and 1494, and they survive largely as painted: dense gilded grotesque ornament, sibyls and prophets, saints and allegories, with the Borgia bull worked through the decoration. The rooms were shut up for centuries after the pope's death and only opened to the public in 1889. Part of the modern religious art collection now shares them.

What you actually see

• The Pinturicchio frescoes - the 1490s decoration across six rooms.
• The gilded grotesques - the dense ornamental work on the vaults.
• The Borgia bull - the family device worked through the scheme.
• The 1889 opening - rooms shut for centuries before being shown.

When to go

November to March is the quietest window. The rooms are less crowded than the Raphael Rooms above. Closed on Sundays except the last of the month.

Honest expectations

Lighting is deliberately low to protect the paint and detail is hard to make out. The modern art displayed in the same rooms sits awkwardly with the frescoes. Many visitors pass straight through.

Nearby

The Raphael Rooms are above, and the Sistine Chapel is south.