About The Square
The large open space in front of St. Peter’s Basilica was redesigned by Bernini between 1656 under the instructions of Pope Alexander VII with a fixed purpose; the largest number of people should be able to see the Pope give his blessings (either from the church or the Vatican palace). It was Bernini who created the scenic colonnades. The piazza has a trapezoidal shape that leaves the visitors visually stunned.
Note the Doric style massive colonnades that go in 4 columns deep; they give the square a structure by framing the entrance. The St Peters Piazza has an elliptical centre and a trapezoid entrance. In the words of Bernini visitors are enclosed within “The arms of the Mother Church”.
An Egyptian obelisk made of red granite that’s supported on bronze lions and flanked by Chigi arms is another notable attraction here. It’s about 40 meters high including the cross that sits atop. The history of the obelisk is unknown but it was erected first at Heliopolis by a pharaoh. From there the obelisk was moved to the Julian forum of Alexandria and then to Rome by King Caligula. The obelisk stood on the spina which ran along the center of Circus of Nero where it was witness to many of Nero’s brutal acts.
In 1586 the Obelisk was moved to its current site by engineer Domenico Fontana who managed to re-position the huge weight of the obelisk. There was a gilt ball on top of the obelisk… some say that it contains the ashes of Julius Caesar; the ball is now in a Roman museum. The obelisk is one structure here that wasn’t Bernini’s creation though he did add the Chigi arms on top to felicitate his patrons.
The St Peter’s Square contains radiating lines in a travertine in a bed of cobblestones. In 1817 circular stones were built in to mark the obelisk’s shadow at noon when the sun entered each of the zodiac sign. This made the obelisk an extraordinary sundial. Right at the front of the square there are huge statues of St Peter and St Paul.
Be careful of the various peddlers who insist on selling charms and souvenirs to visitors on the square; they can be pretty irksome.
Read: St. Peter’s Basilica, a historic church which is one of the four major basilicas in the world.
Location & Transport
St Peters Square is in the Vatican City and across the Tiber River north to the city center of Rome. It’s about 10-minute walk from the metro station Ottaviano. Several city buses (including routes 64, 62, 81 and 40) and hop on hop off buses stop at the Vatican City. In case you plan on bringing a car then you might use the 5 storey car park terminal Gianicolo that’s just ten minutes away.
You can easily combine your visit to the square with St Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel and/ or Vatican Museum… they are right around the corner. You can find various such tours and book online from this Viator site.
If you are hungry having done your sightseeing around, try the Duecento Grade that’s on the Piazza Risorgimento in between St Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums… they make great sandwiches (lots of vegan options too). Another great place for a quick eat is Via Verona that has Nan with its fantastic collection of bagels, yoghurt parfaits and salads. For a more relaxed meal try the pizza, pasta and bean based dishes at Bacio di Puglia on Via del Mascherino. For a fancier meal go to L Archangel that’s famous for its gnocchi….it’s on Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli that’s just 20 minutes away from St Peter’s Square.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.