Saturday, 5 September 2015
Rome, Italy
Temps: HI 81F (27C) / Lo 72F (22C)
If anything, the queue to get into St Peter’s Basilica was longer when we returned to the Vatican this afternoon … thus validating our decision to buy timed-entry tickets that bypass the line.
Arriving shortly after 2:00p, we checked in with Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi … essentially the tour entity of the Vatican, directly overseen by the Cardinal Vicar to the Pope. We were then escorted as a group to St Peter’s Square where the security checkpoints are located. A dedicated checkpoint processed our group before we continued on to the basilica.
Since it was a sunny, blue sky day, we decided to spend a few additional Euros to go up to the cupola first … chose the elevator + 320 steps option. Worth every single penny to not only get up close to view the details of the central dome, but to go out to an observation balcony with 360-views of the cityscape.
The central dome is one of the largest in the world. …
… It rises just over 448 feet (136.5 m) from the floor of the basilica.
Aerial view from the cupola balcony … the big building that lies diagonally from left
to right is the Vatican Museum, with the Sistine Chapel at the far end on the right.
St Peter’s Square and beyond.
Round and round and round we next walked down to visit the basilica itself. What an awesome place. I was impressed with the mosaic altar pieces that looked like paintings, but the lace-like carvings of the vestments of some of the marble statues truly wowed me. Then there was the Pieta … breathtakingly beautiful … even though it now resides behind bulletproof glass … and has ever since it was attacked by a crazed man with a hammer in 1972.
We wandered around for quite a while, and I took quite a few photos in the areas that were not cordoned off for mass, but I will share only one ‘fake’ postcard here.
Basilica di San Pietro … looking across Maderno’s nave to Bernini's Baldacchino and the chancel.
That I could have spent all day here studying intricate details goes without saying. If all you’re going to do is spend time in the basilica, you can go at any time during the day; but if you plan to go up to the cupola to enjoy the cityscape, then afternoon would be best.
My previous post covered the first part of our afternoon at the Basilica Papale di San Pietro [Papal Basilica of St Peter] — after we skipped the line to get inside. The up close and personal look at the central dome, and the beautiful views of the cityscape from the lantern will remain a highlight of this trip to Rome.
