St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican, Rome Italy

The Vatican. Colonnade of St. Peter's Square. The elliptical shape, symbolising the Church's embrace of all of mankind, is defined by a series of 284 columns arranged in four rows. lf, however, you stand on one of the two focuses of the ellipse, marked by a granite disk, it seems that the colonnade is made up of only a single row of columns! At the end of the right-hand arm of the colonnade, two Swiss Guards stand watch before the Scala Regia.
Skilfully exploiting the little space at his disposal, the artist managed to give the illusion of a much bigger staircase through the use of optical devices.

Inside the basilica, also, Bernini's ingenious inventions never cease to amaze. The huge space under the dome was occupied by the gigantic Baldacchino, 29 metres high like Palazzo Farnese and the Louvre, whose twisted columns were cast of bronze taken from the Pantheon, a fact that immediately became the subject of the famous pasquinade "Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini" (What the Barbarians did not do, the Barberini did).

The Baldacchino was erected over the altar, which in turn was placed exactly over the spot where, according to tradition, St. Peter is buried.

On the bases of the bronze columns supporting the Baldacchino, it is possibie to see the shields with the Barberini bees.

A closer examination reveals, however, that in reality they show the sequence of expressions of pain on the face of a woman giving birth. Going around the monument clockwise, seven different moments of pregnancy can be seen, up to the smiling face of a baby. Bernini intended, evidently through the figure of Pope Urban VIII Barberini, to celebrate mankind who suffers while awaiting salvation.

At the back of the apse is the Cathedra, the large bronze chair, supported by four gigantic statues portraying the Doctors of the Church, which was created to hold the episcopal chair where Peter sat.
In reality, the cathedra, kept inside the Baroque monument, dates from the 9th century and is a gift from King Charles I (the Bald) to Pope John VII.

To give an idea of the dimensions of the cathedra, just imagine that 121 tons of bronze were used and that the wingspan of the dove of the Holy Spirit in the stained-glass window is 1.75 metres long. The tiaras of the Doctors of the Church, situated below, are also about two metres high.

The square is dominated by the largest church in the world: St. Peter's Basilica. The dome was designed by Michelangelo, who also designed the plan of the Renaissance church, rebuilt over the early Christian one as ordered by papal architect Donato Bramante, who had the ancient basilica torn down. For this reason Bramante was nicknamed "Mastro ruinante" ("ruining master").

By Michelangelo there is also the beautiful Pietà, kept in the first chapel of the right aisle. lt is the only work actually signed by the great artist. lt is said that the sculptor, angry because no one knew who had done the masterpiece, decided to engrave his name on the band encircling the Virgin's breast. Michelangelo also engraved his monogram "M" in the folds of the Virgin's right hand, the one turned towards the viewer.

Also from the Vatican Museums, where it is also possibie to see Raphael's Stanze, painted between 1509 and 1512, and the Borgia Apartment, frescoed in the late 15th century by Pinturicchio, we can arrive in St. Peter's Square.