Private Excursion to a Country Within a Country Awaits Rome Trip Winners

Only three months remain to qualify for the 2023–2024 Agent/Broker Travel Incentive grand prize trip to the legendary, luxury five-star Hotel Hassler Roma in Rome, Italy. As our slogan goes, Roma Like You’ve Never Seen Before, winners of the trip will be treated to various excursions not typically experienced by general tourists in Rome.

In the last issue of The Agent’s Advocate, we revealed the opportunity for winners to take on the challenge of becoming a Roman gladiator for a day. Now, we unveil our next unique activity: a private tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

Interestingly enough, Vatican City is actually a country. The world’s smallest independent nation-state is a landlocked country that is less than one square mile. It’s so small that it would only take the average person 45 minutes to walk the entire way around the walls of Vatican City.

Vatican City came into existence on February 11, 1929, after signing the Lateran Treaty, which granted the territory the status of a country and brought an end to a period of political and religious turmoil. Before the treaty, the Kingdom of Italy, also called Imperial Italy, and the Papal States, or the State of the Church, fought over land in Italy. With brute force, the Kingdom of Italy invaded the Papal States, causing its members to flee to the Vatican. The State of the Church then declared that its people were being held as prisoners in the Vatican and, in retaliation, refused to acknowledge the Kingdom of Italy as a political power. This split the population of Italy between the Church and government.

After decades passed with no resolution, Benito Mussolini stepped in, understanding that without the support of the Church, his government’s power would be restricted—so he presented the Lateran Treaty to remedy the situation.

The treaty recognized Vatican City as an independent state under control of the Holy See—the central governing body of the Catholic Church and a sovereign entity recognized by international law. Mussolini even sweetened the deal by giving the Church today’s equivalent of $1 billion Euros, palaces, and land in Rome and Lazio. In return, the Holy See recognized Italy as a country, with Rome as its capital, and promised to remain neutral in politics and wars. In turn, Italy recognized papal sovereignty over Vatican City.

Today, Vatican City is comprised of three main parts: St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums.

St. Peter’s Basilica

As the largest basilica in the world, the extravagant church building is heavily influenced by the work of Michelangelo and houses worldwide masterpieces like his famous Pietà. The basilica was originally built above the tomb of the Prince of Apostles, where the Pope visits every Christmas or Easter. St. Peter’s Basilica even has an underground crypt for Popes that can be visited.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel was named after Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1471 to 1484), who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. The chapel is where the conclave and other official ceremonies of the Pope are held but is most famous for Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling frescoes that he painted in just four years (1508–1512) and are a testament to his unparalleled skill and vision as an artist.

Vatican Museums

Pope Julius II deserves a lot of credit for his influence. Not only was he the Pope that commissioned Michelangelo for his work on the Sistine Chapel, but he is also the 16th Century founder of the Vatican Museums. With a total of 54 museums, the Vatican Museums contain the world’s largest collection of art with 9 miles of pieces, which could wrap around the Vatican walls four-and-a-half times. Its series of 1,400 rooms, chapels, and galleries constitute former wings of the Vatican Palace.

That’s enough history for now—we’ll let the grand prize winners of the 2023–2024 Agent/Broker Travel Incentive discover much more when they join us on our private Vatican experience.

On June 30, the Agent/Broker Travel Incentive draws to a close. Finish with a strong sales performance and reward yourself for a year of hard work. This is your opportunity to create once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Access the eligibility requirements to learn what it takes to qualify.

Legal Notice: In the event any dispute should arise concerning any aspect of the 2023–2024 Agent/Broker Travel Incentive, such dispute shall be resolved by The Doctors Company. The decision as to any dispute concerning the Agent/Broker Travel Incentive shall rest in the sole discretion of The Doctors Company, and such decision shall be full, final, and not subject to any further review. Wholesale brokers of The Doctors Company and TDC Specialty Underwriters are not eligible to participate in the Agent/Broker Travel Incentive.