Rome: Where All Roads Lead - Italy - page 67

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appropriate clothing.) At the top of the steps into the church, the queue divides
again between the chiesa, which leads to the inside of the church, and the Cupola,
which takes you to the top of the dome. It makes the most sense to visit the
church before the Cupola.
The current church took 120 years to build. It was completed in 1626 on the
site of the original church that had been built 1,300 years earlier. A few remnants
of the original basilica still exist, like the Giotto mosaic in the portico just oppo-
site the main entrance door. Once inside, the natural tendency is to veer to your
right to see Michelangelo's famous Pietà first, since that's the flow of the tour-
group traffic. But you'll have a much better perspective of the sheer magnitude of
this basilica if you walk down the center aisle from the back of the church all the
way to the front (unless it is set up with chairs or otherwise closed for an event,
which is common around Easter). Head toward Bernini's baroque baldacchino, or
canopy, over the main altar, reserved for the Pope. The exquisitely detailed canopy
is made from the bronze that may have once adorned the inside of the dome of
the Pantheon. The design is inspired by a Mesopotamian tradition of draping
woven silks made in Baghdad over a four-poster framework to mark a holy site.
Bernini sculpted the face of a woman on each of the pillars, whose countenance
is progressively contorted in childbirth pain starting with the first face on the left
pillar (with your back to the entrance of the church). Circle the entire altar to see
the progression until the fourth pillar, where the woman's face is replaced with a
newborn's unmistakable mug.
While walking up the middle aisle, look for the various names of churches
and brass lines inscribed into the marble floor—they identify the length of those
churches compared to St. Peter's. Once you've reached the dark baldacchino, look
up to the top of the giant dome above, where St. Peter is believed to have been
Pope-Spotting
Millions of devout Catholics come to Vatican City each year to make a religious
pilgrimage and, more recently, to catch a glimpse of the new Pope, Benedict XVI,
who blesses the faithful and curious alike in St. Peter's Square every Sunday at
noon when he is in Rome. Go early if you want to see him in his apartment win-
dow above Bernini's colonnade. The best place to stand is near the obelisk in the
center of the square, though these spots are generally taken by locals who arrive
early. The Pope also holds a public audience each Wednesday, in St. Peter's Square
on sunny days and in the Sala Navi auditorium when the weather is grim. You
must apply for the free papal audience through the Prefettura della Casa
Pontificia ( % 06-69883114, 06-69883273; fax [phone]; Mon-Sat
9am-1:30pm), or, if you're a Catholic, through your local parish priest. Tickets
must be picked up the morning of the audience at the bronze door to the left of
St. Peter's Basilica on St. Peter's Square.
You can write to the Pope (which often results in an autographed photo) at
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City, EUROPE 00120.
He also has an e-mail address: [e-mail].