Luxury Mediterranean holiday villas: Enjoy a private tour of the Sistine Chapel

Families planning to stay in luxury Mediterranean holiday villas during their stay in Rome should enjoy a private tour of the Sistine Chapel, it has been claimed.

In an article on the Guardian website, Kohinoor Sahota advised holidaymakers to beat the crowds and embark on an intimate tour of the chapel, which is home to Michelangelo's greatest work.

She wrote: "There are no guards asking you to be quiet, no banging into other tourists who are also looking up, and no gesturing to move on to let more people in. Just silence."

Private tours were previously reserved for a privileged few but now small groups of 20 can savor the architecture and artwork without having to queue or struggling to make their through the dense crowds of tourists.

Ms Sahota advised visitors to climb the 320 steps up to the top of St Peter's to the building's spectacular viewing platform.

"You may not have reached heaven, but you have reached the highest point of the Eternal City," she added.