St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican

1. The Pieta, popes' tombs, St. Peter's statue

Pieta is a masterpiece sculpted by Michelangelo in 1499, at the age of 25. It conveys grace and sadness. The work is protected by glass after a demented man smashed the statue with a hammer, destroying the Virgin's nose and fingers. It is situated to the right, in a chapel. The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding the breathless Jesus on her knees.

Also in the right half we stopped for a good few minutes at tomb of Pope John Paul IIbut also in another chapel next door. The combination between the places of silence (chapels), where silence is maintained and filming is not allowed, and the rest of the cathedral space where you can hear the buzz of the crowds visiting the place is remarkable. I appreciated that in general the places of silence are respected as they should be, even though thousands of tourists are constantly wandering through these places.

The visit on the right flank closes with a photo at the Statue of St. Peter. The 13th century bronze statue of St. Peter has the status of a sacred object. The faithful caress and kiss the saint's feet for good luck. The Apostle Peter sits on an alabaster throne. The statue of Arnolfo di Cambio is among the few surviving bronze statues from antiquity.

2. Baldacchino, tomb of St. Peter, altar

We reach the end opposite the entrance to Canopy. It is the impressive canopy of the holy altar. It is made of bronze spiral columns made from the decorative (melted) pieces of the portico ceiling of the Pantheon. It was realized in 1678. You can't help but sit back and admire its details. Also here, below the base level, is Tomb of the Apostle Peter (Mormantul Sf. Petru) .

In front of us, behind the canopy, is the altar with the chair of St. Peter and the statue of the prophet Elijah.

3. The treasury, the crypts

We also visit an adjacent space The Treasurywhich also has a bronze cross inlaid with jewels, dating from the 6th century - Crux Vaticana. We also find here a ciborium by Donatello, the bronze tomb slab with the effigy of Pope Sixtus IV. Filming was not allowed in this area. At the entrance to this area is a list of all the popes.

We then slowly make our way to a staircase that leads to the lower, underground Crypts. Many of the monuments of the medieval basilica are found here. During excavations in this Necropolis, the legendary Red Wallbehind which St. Peter is said to have been buried. The wall was covered with early medieval paintings depicting the saint. Access to it is not possible, in fact I mentioned it a little earlier when I wrote about the Baldacchino.

4. Domul

Another perspective on the grandeur of the cathedral's entire construction can be gained by climbing into the Dom.

Domul it's huge, it's majestic. It's also designed by Michelangelo. It's 42 meters in diameter, so as not to surpass the Pantheon, which is 1 meter bigger. At the side of the church, there's a queue for access to the dome roof. You have to pay the access fee, 6 eur for full access on foot, 8 eur for partial access by elevator. Access is not recommended for claustrophobic people and people with serious circulation and breathing problems. From the elevator descent on a wide platform with a superb photo perspective, where there is also a souvenir shop, but also with refreshments, and from here, begins the ascent of the 330 steps that lead to the skylight roof, located at a staggering height of 132 m where you can admire the city panorama.

We are dumb and admiring. That's all. From above through the protective grating after climbing the stairs. But let's also look up, because the dome is beautiful. And this was only an intermediate level. Let's go up, way up, and look out from the balcony of the dome outside the cathedral.

The first image we contemplate is that of the square in front of the cathedral, St. Peter's Square, which we will go down later anyway. After catching our breath and smiling again after the effort of climbing the stairs, photographing and filming, we contemplate the Vatican from above. It's like breathing different air up here. But let's make another effort, as we have nowhere else to go, and let's go back down to ground level and come out in front of the cathedral.

5. Piazza San Pietro and the obelisk

We are now in Plazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square) . She is famous. It's beautiful and overwhelming. The surrounding image when you're standing here is mesmerizing. The semi-elliptical colonnades by Bernini have transformed the Cathedral's perspective into a pair of arms embracing the faithful. Unfortunately, the effect of the square was transformed by Mussolini's pompous Via della Concilazione.

Obelisk in the square was brought from Alexandria (Egypt) in antiquity to decorate the circus of Emperor Caligula. The obelisk was crowned by a cross, inside which is a small fragment of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Two fountains were built on either side of the obelisk.

St. Peter's Square, which stretches in front of the cathedral of the same name, has the shape of an ellipse with a long axis of 240 m and a short axis of 196 m and is surrounded by a double colonnade covered with a gallery crowned by 140 statues of saints.

I try to imagine the solemn character when different religious processions take place.