Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
Boasting priceless treasures at every turn, the Vatican is home to some of Rome's
most popular sights. The Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica are the star attrac-
tions, but Castel Sant'Angelo, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks, is also
well worth a visit.For details of companies offering guided tours of the Vatican Mu-
seums and St Peter's Basilica,
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.
SEPARATE ENTRANCES
It's a common misunderstanding, but many people think that St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the
Sistine Chapel share a single entrance. They do not. The entrance to St Peter's Basilica is on St Peter's Square -
join the queue on the piazza's northern flank; the entrance to the Vatican Museums is on Viale Vaticano - follow
the Vatican walls westwards from Piazza del Risorgimento. The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums
complex and can only be accessed through the museums.
You can, in theory, pass from the Sistine Chapel through to St Peter's Basilica, although officially this short cut
is reserved for groups with a guide. You can not, however, go in the opposite direction, from St Peter's straight to
the Sistine Chapel.
Vatican City
ST PETER'S BASILICA
See
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.
BASILICA
ST PETER'S SQUARE
(Piazza San Pietro; Ottaviano-San Pietro)
Overlooked by St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican's central
square was laid out between 1656 and 1667 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Seen
from above, it resembles a giant keyhole with two semicircular colonnades, each consisting
of four rows of Doric columns, encircling a giant ellipse that straightens out to funnel be-
lievers into the basilica.
The effect was deliberate - Bernini described the colonnades as representing 'the moth-
erly arms of the church'. However, the piazza's modern approach is very different to how
Bernini originally envisaged it. His idea was to have the piazza open up before visitors as
they emerged from the jumble of narrow streets that originally surrounded the area. Mus-
PIAZZA
