Rome, July 18, 2007 - The Governorate of the Vatican City State and Telecom Italia announce the creation of the Institutional Portal http://www.vaticanstate.va/ to present the State’s services, activities and organizational structure.
Implemented in five languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish and German) with Portuguese soon to be added, the Portal presents through its five sections (State and Government, Services, Other Institutions, Monuments, Shop), the State’s bodies, the key monuments with descriptions and images, useful times schedules for the public, a photo-tour of the Vatican gardens and the ability to see in real time - via five webcams - a number of evocative views.
Visitors will soon be able to purchase Vatican coins, stamps and other articles available from the Vatican Museum's publications and reproductions sales office via the Portal. Featuring a modern, interactive design, the Portal has been laid out clearly and logically to ensure that relevant information and services are easy to find.
The Portal combines three different platforms: one covers the addition and updating of content from multiple sources; one looks after access, including the design interface, visual content presentation and Portal navigation; a third platform handles economic transactions. All of these platforms can interface with one another; they are based on hardware and software architecture that is integrated into the Vatican's existing IT system.
Telecom Italia has used its consolidated experience to design, develop and implement the Portal, working in tandem with a number of departments at the Vatican City State and the Holy See. The Portal will run alongside the http://www.vatican.va/ site, which is the Holy See’s official online channel.