After the Doors Close
An after-hours Vatican visit for clients
The ask
We're bringing nine of our longest-standing clients to Rome in the spring. One of them taught Renaissance art for thirty years. I'd like one evening that no hotel concierge could book, ideally somewhere the crowds have left. Around $10k for the group.
The gift
A private evening visit to the galleries of Vatican City and the chapel whose ceiling Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512, for the group on its own after public hours. A licensed guide leads the two hours, and cars collect everyone from the hotel and return them. We send each guest a short reading on the ceiling beforehand, with the evening's details in the linen box with a wax-sealed card.
Why it's extraordinary
On an ordinary day the chapel is shoulder to shoulder with visitors. After hours the group has room to look up, and the guest who taught Renaissance art stands under the frescoes she taught for thirty years.
The moment
The doors close behind the last visitors, and for two hours the ceiling belongs to the group.
A curator replies within one business day.
