St. Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world and the ceremonial centre of the Roman Catholic Church, rising above the colonnaded oval of St Peter's Square in Vatican City. Visitors cross the vast square framed by Bernini's 284-column embrace, pass through security, and step into a marble interior so large that floor markings show where smaller cathedrals around the world would end. Inside, the eye is drawn to Michelangelo's Pietà, sculpted when he was 24 and now behind glass to the right of the entrance, then to Bernini's towering bronze baldachin over the papal altar and the soaring dome above it, also designed by Michelangelo. Below the floor lies the Vatican Grottoes with the tombs of numerous popes, including the shrine traditionally identified as the tomb of St Peter himself. The defining experience for most visitors is the climb to the dome (the cupola): 551 steps, or a lift for the first stage followed by 320 narrowing steps, leading to a balcony 136 metres up with a panorama over the square, the Vatican Gardens and the rooftops of Rome. Entry to the basilica is free; only the dome climb carries a fee. A visit to the church takes 60 to 90 minutes, plus 45 minutes or more for the dome. The basilica opens early, and arriving by 7.30 to 8am means walking in almost immediately, whereas by mid-morning the security queue can wrap far across the square. A strict dress code with covered shoulders and knees is enforced at the door. The best photographs come from the dome balcony and from the square at sunrise. Crowds peak on Wednesday mornings during the papal audience and on Sundays around the noon Angelus. As both an active place of worship in Italy's spiritual capital and a supreme monument of Renaissance and Baroque art, St Peter's rewards an early, unhurried visit.