St. Peters Square ( Piazza San Pietro), Vatican City

A couple of steps across the virtual border and you're into Vatican City, of course after passing by countless souvenir stores in Via della Conciliazione. Hub of the Catholic Church, the Vatican City territory is the smallest country in the world and the remnant of the former Papal State that was annexed to Italy on September 20th, 1870.
St. Peter is a magnificent baroque piazza of elliptical shape, with peripheral columns centered around an obelisk, and two fountains. The "square" then extends towards the impressive Basilica's facade. As one can imagine, plenty of visitors at all time and difficult to manage on Sundays when the Pope addresses the faithful pilgrims from a window.

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Saint Peter's Square - Piazza San Pietro, is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome.

The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the facade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace.

The colossal Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, frame the trapezoidal entrance to the basilica and the massive elliptical area which precedes it. The colonnades define the piazza.

At the center of the ellipse stands an Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 meters tall, supported on bronze lions and surmounted by the Chigi arms in bronze, in all 41 meters to the cross on its top.
The obelisk, of the 13th century BC, was moved to Rome in AD 37.
The Vatican Obelisk is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times.

The Apostolic Palace, also called the Papal Palace or the Palace of the Vatican, is the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City.
The palace is a complex of buildings, comprising the Papal Apartments, some of the Catholic Church's government offices, a handful of chapels, the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library. In all, there are over 1,000 rooms with the most famous including Raphael's Rooms and the Sistine Chapel with its renowned ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo (restored between 1980 and 1990).
On Sundays at noon, the pope usually (if he's in town) appears at the second window from the right of the Apostolic Palace, to pray the Angelus and bless the crowd in the Square. Benedict XVI has continued this tradition.

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St Peter's Square is in itself a destination - the piazza del duomo of all piazze in all Italy! From the dramatic architecture to scenes of pilgrims and tourists and Michelangelo-clad Swiss guards, it's worth at least an hour of "loitering."

Some favorite scenes:
Picture 1 - the dramatic facade of St Peter's Basilica with the obelisk marking the site of St Peter's crucifixion;

Picture 2 - a nun praying the rosary while listening to the Pope's message during a public audience day;

Picture 3 - an interesting contrast to the nun in picture 2, a fashionably dressed tourist;

Picture 4 - a team of Rome's caribinieri looking dapper in their uniforms; and

Picture 5 - again, interesting contrast with the Swiss guard clad in a Michelangelo-designed uniform from the Renaissance age.

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The square, as mentioned earlier, was the work of the great Bernini. It is massive in its proportions and is usually a hive of activity. I have at times visited the Square when it was being prepared for some event or celebration which loomed in the very near future. I was there the day before the canonisation of Jose Maria Escriva and there were dozens of workers setting out chairs and arranging electrical speakers and the like. This is not an usual happening here at St Peter's.
To see the square in all of its glory however, it is best to climb at least to the roof of the basilica but better yet, the top of the Cupola. It is an amazing sight.

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The Egyptian Obelisk stands 40 meters in height. It lies at the center of the piazza.

According to history, St. Peter requested to be crucified upside down as he is not worthy of being crucified in similar way as with Jesus Christ. It happened at the Circus of Nero in ancient Rome, the Obelisk was a silent witness to the execution of St. Peter.

That would be the reason why it's called "The Witness".

People gather around the Obelisk, sitting around its base after maybe a tiring tour of the basilica.

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Would you believe, I thought those guys in colourful uniforms were just normal Italians made to dress like that to compliment the total Vatican atmosphere, just like those ones I saw in Prague's Mala Strana area. Seriously...don't blame me and my naiveté.

Surrounding the entrance of the St. Peter's Basilica are men wearing those colourful blue-red-yellow uniforms are the Papal Swiss guards, and the only swiss guards still in existence.

Founded in 1506, the swiss guards are responsible for the security and safety of the pope. There are about a hundred Swiss Guards today. Swiss Guard are veterans of the Swiss Army between 19 and 30 years of age, must be Catholic, good family background and not married. They take oath of loyalty to the pope.

But honestly, they do compliment the Vatican and the whole atmosphere.

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Piazza San Pietro was laid out by Bernini in 1656 - 67 for Pope Alexander VII. It is keyhole shaped and formed by the wings of the double-colonnades symbolising the outstretched arms of Mother Church embracing and protecting the congregation. In the center are fountains by Maderno and della Fontana, and an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula in AD37.

Between the obelisk and each fountain is a round marble slab, from where the spectator obtains the illusion that each colonnade has only a single row of columns.

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The Egyptian obelisk is located in the center of St. Peters Square and is flanked by two eight meters high fountains on the northern and southern sections of the square, the northern fountain was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the southern fountain was the work of Carlo Maderno. The obelisk was constructed of red granite and is approximately 25 meters high. The total height of the obelisk including its base and the cross on top is approximately 40 meters high.

The 13th century BC Egyptian obelisk was brought to Rome to stand in the Circus of Nero by Emperor Caligula in 37 AD. The Italian engineer architect Domenico Fontana moved the obelisk to St. Peters Square in the 16th century on Pope Sixtus V order. Incidentally it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not been toppled since the Roman era!