Hello again!

Last minute question = We are finally heading to Rome, Italy three weeks from now and my Roman vacation is incomplete without seeing the Vatican/Sistine Chapel. I understand cameras are not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel - So my question is: Are we allowed to have our pictures taken with the Swiss Guards instead?

They will not pose with you, but you can frame your pictures with them in the background behind you. At the colosseum guys dressed as gladiators or Roman soldiers will happily pose with you for a fee (unless they've been chased off by the authorities).

Of course the Swiss Guards won't pose for tourist photos. Would you ask a policeman or a soldier on duty elsewhere to pose with you? Probably not (I hope). The Swiss Guard have fancier uniforms but they are just the same.

Cameras are allowed in the Sistine Chapel--you just can't take photos with them.

Swiss Guards ARE - they are not decorative - and no, they won't pose with you. Despite their fou fou uniforms they have a serious job - not just keeping out tourists dressed improperly. They are connected via high tech to the Vatican central security office and are there to protect not only the person of the Pope - but the valuables of Vatican City.

Agree you can get one in the background of a photo if that amuses you.

quokka. London Bobbies at tourist attractions will pose. At least the "normal" ones will, not the ones on terrorist duty with guns.

"Would you ask a policeman or a soldier on duty elsewhere to pose with you? "

Absolutely.

And in a civilised democracy (or at least in the civilised democracy I've got the great fortune to live in), most will gladly cooperate unless there's a very good reason not to. It's an essential part of their job: emphasising that they're accountable public servants and not the agents of a tyrant.

Which unaccountable tyranny does quokka live in?

You can stand beside the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. They don't pose with you but you can stand beside them. I don't see why could couldn't stand near a Swiss guard while your picture is taken, just don't get in the way. All hell broke loose when a German tourist stood in between a Greek guard and his little hut rather than on the other side of the soldier.

The Swiss Guards won't allow you to pose with them, but are happy to be in photos individually, or if you stand away and have them framed in the same shot.

Cameras are allowed in the Sistine Chapel but you are not supposed to take photos in there. If you are caught doing so, the guards will yell at you when they see you ("NO PHOTO!") and evict you if you persist, so best to not take many until you are ready to leave.

Great, Thank you all!

BTW - As far as quokka's question, my answer is Yes. I have asked NYPD policemen and firemen to pose with me, and they happily obliged since they were my unsung heroes right after the 9/11.

Yes, but what were they doing at the time?

The Swiss Guard in front of the Vatican are ON DUTY. If you went up to the soldiers with machine guns in one of the major transit stations in NYC and tried to stand right next to them for a photo I think you would find yourself moved along very quickly.