Part of Vatican to be turned into a museum

It's the moment we've all been waiting for - a sneak peak into the Vatican ANYTIME you want.

Word reaching us has it that the Vatican has turned part of the lavish papal summer estate into a museum which will be linked to Rome via a train.

The soon-to-be museum is part of the lavish papal summer estate south of Rome  which Pope Francis has never used.

Here's what we're most excited about - one of the areas included in this lavish estate which will now be open to members of the public is the window overlooking a large courtyard from where popes before Francis blessed crowds every Sunday for weeks during their summer breaks.

Also expected to be on showcase are a papal portrait gallery and pontifical artifacts, such as intricately embroidered liturgical vestments, elaborate thrones going back hundreds of years, and several pair of papal slippers, including those worn by Pope Pius V, who died in 1572.

Visitors can also inspect the costume of the "mazziere," or mace bearer, a sort of papal bouncer whose job during the Middle Ages was to elbow people to the side if they got too close as the pontiff passed.

Speaking on the move, Antonio Paolucci, head of the Vatican Museums said opening the palace doors "was the pope's initiative" which came as a result of Pope Francis' non-usage of the summer estate owing to his heavy workload - Pope Francis does not take vacations.

"The people of were certainly disappointed that the pope decided to not spend his summers here. This is a chance to draw attention to the city again and help the economy," Paolucci explained.

A special train will run on Saturdays from the Vatican to Castelgandolfo, where tourists can see the Vatican Museums and gardens then take the train to the Castelgandolfo estate and the satellite museum.

The Castelgandolfo estate stands at 136 acres and is about 25% larger than Vatican City, with woodlands and a working farm with about 100 cows producing 1,300 liters of milk a day.