Holy mysteries

There are no hospitals or prisons in the Vatican: Here's why

Image: Jamie Evawin

Located in the heart of Rome, the Vatican is a city-state with roots that stretch far beyond its official founding year. And while you might think you’ve heard all about it, the world’s smallest country still holds plenty of secrets. Let’s uncover 10 fascinating facts hidden within its walls.

Image: NASA

In July 1969, the United States sent the first humans who reached the moon. But what exactly did the astronauts bring along with them? Believe it or not, a small Vatican City flag flew aboard Apollo 11 and made it all the way to the moon. Later, President Nixon presented that same flag to Pope Paul VI.

Image: Kelsey Knight

Wine in the Vatican isn’t just for Mass. In fact, this tiny city-state has the world’s highest wine consumption per capita! That may sound shocking, but it becomes a little more reasonable when you consider two things: there are no children in the population, so almost everyone is of drinking age, and residents also enjoy tax-free wine.

Image: Luma Pimentel

Did you know there are no hospitals and no delivery rooms at all? That’s right! You can’t become a Vatican citizen by birth. Citizenship is granted only based on a person’s role or employment within the Holy See.

Image: Ivan Lemekhov

You can’t just choose to live in the Vatican. Just as citizenship isn’t granted by birth, it isn’t permanent either. Those who become citizens hold it only temporarily, and it’s revoked once their service ends.

Image: Sebastian Herrmann

Due to the large number of daily visitors, minor crimes like pickpocketing can occur. However, the Vatican doesn’t have a formal prison system. While there are a few temporary detention facilities, anyone sentenced to prison serves their time in Italian jails.

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It turns out no one has pets inside the Vatican walls, and it’s not because they don’t like animals. There is actually a rule that prohibits pets from living in or visiting the Vatican and its main attractions. While this might sound strange at first, it actually makes a lot of sense: the ban exists because the Vatican functions primarily as a high-security workplace and religious site, where noise, dirt, or pet waste wouldn’t be ideal. Of course, there are exceptions, such as guide dogs or therapy animals.

Image: Richard Wang

The Vatican is filled with incredible works by the master Michelangelo, with the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel being among the most famous. But there’s only one piece actually signed by Michelangelo himself, and it’s right here in the Vatican. More precisely, it’s in St. Peter’s Basilica: the breathtaking sculpture titled "The Pietà," completed when he was just about 24 years old.

Image: Nicolas Hoizey

The Vatican Museums are the public museums of Vatican City, housing around 70,000 works of art! Together, their corridors and halls stretch nearly 10 miles and attract over 15 million visitors each year. In addition, you can explore the incredible Bramante Staircase, with a double-helix design that is mind-blowing.

Image: Elena Mozhvilo

With so many rooms and corridors, there are also countless doors, which means countless keys. Around 2,700, to be more precise. That’s right: each morning, the museum guards are responsible for opening every single one.

Image: Erik Mclean

Lingua Latina pars fundamentalis Vaticani est. But if that sentence didn’t make sense to you, you might want to bring cash when visiting the Vatican. Why? Well, their ATMs are in Latin! The good news: Italian and English are also available, so we’re covered.

We just know that we know nothing

12 facts that people often get wrong

No one can claim to know everything, but most people go through life confident about certain things. However, some of these widely held beliefs are not actually correct, despite their popularity. Let’s have a look at some "facts" you might have gotten wrong!

The idea that insects—particularly mosquitoes—are not animals is widespread, but it’s also incorrect. In fact, insects are the most diverse group within the Animal kingdom, with more than a million species described and representing more than half of the animal population of the planet.

The mistake comes from not considering that "fruit" is not only a culinary term but also a botanical one. Botanically, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from a flower and contains seeds. This makes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other foods that we call vegetables actually fruits in the scientific sense.

Countries have a political delimitation, while continents are divided according to geographical criteria. The Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth, bordering fourteen other countries and extending across eleven time zones. It spans across a good part of Eastern Europe, but also across the Ural mountains—one of the recognized borders between Europe and Asia—and stretches deep into northern Asia.

While cold weather isn’t harmless, it is not the direct cause of illnesses like the flu, which are caused by viruses. In colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors and often avoid ventilating rooms, creating conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and cause illness.

Bats might not prefer to be out during bright daylight, but this does not mean that they are blind. In fact, many species have excellent eyesight, though it is adapted to low-light or nighttime conditions. On top of that, bats also use echolocation, which allows them to navigate and hunt with remarkable precision in complete darkness.

The belief that you must wait a full day before reporting someone missing is a myth popularized by movies and TV shows. In reality, the law does not require a waiting period. In fact, law enforcement agencies stress that the first 24 hours are often the most critical, so a missing person should be reported immediately.

Some man-made structures are visible from space without magnification, but despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not one of them. While it is quite long, being over 13,000 miles long, it is relatively narrow, and its earthy colors blend in with the surrounding landscape, making it nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye from orbit.

This one is tricky: Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (29,032 feet)… if you measure the distance from sea level to peak. For the actual tallest mountain, the answer might vary depending on how you measure. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,474 feet—though much of it is underwater. Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska rises about 18,000 feet from its base to the peak, making it the tallest mountain entirely above sea level. And Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, while shorter in height, is the farthest point on Earth from the planet’s center due to the equatorial bulge.

The Earth is tilted on an axis, which causes the amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives to change as it orbits the Sun. Because of this tilt, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter—and vice versa. This is why the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Christmas during summer.

Standard medical advice is to gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed rather than waking them, but not because waking them is inherently dangerous. People tend to sleepwalk during deep sleep, so waking them up might startle them or cause confusion and disorientation.

Hair color and thickness are determined by genetics, not by shaving. Hair naturally gets thin at the ends, so when you shave it, the hair shaft appears to be thicker and darker because of the blunt cut. But it's just an optical illusion; the natural size of the shaft remains unchanged.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it can increase trips to the bathroom. However, the water in brewed coffee still contributes to your hydration and offsets its mild diuretic effect. If you consume coffee in moderation—3 to 5 cups a day, depending on your tolerance—you should be alright. However, drinking extra water on the side is never a bad idea.