Bernini's oval piazza in front of St Peter's, enclosed by Tuscan colonnades four columns deep meant to embrace visitors like 'the maternal arms of Mother Church', around an ancient Egyptian obelisk set up here in 1586 between two matching fountains by Maderno (1613) and Bernini (1675).
- Address
- Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano
- Best time to go
- Morning, Evening · About 30 min
- Price level
- €
Details can change. Check hours and prices before you go.
Good to know
- Stand on one of the two stone roundels in the paving between the obelisk and the fountains: from there the four rows of columns line up behind one another as a single row.
- The Pope's general audience is usually on Wednesday at 10:00 here or in the Paul VI Hall (free tickets from the Prefecture of the Papal Household); the Angelus is at noon on Sunday and needs no ticket.
- Walk down Via della Conciliazione to Castel Sant'Angelo, about 10 minutes, as in Turismo Roma's two-day itinerary.