The Climb is Worth the View

St. Peter’s Cupola can be seen from anywhere in Rome. The dome is a magnificent creation of Michelangelo and many others who worked on the design and construction of St. Peter’s dome. During our trip to Rome I captured many photographs all over the city where I was able to capture St. Peter’s Cupola in the photograph. The dome in St. Peter’s Basilica rises 400 feet above Bernini’s Altar. The attention to detail in all of the artwork is breathtaking!

One recommendation is to try to get on the first St Peter’s Cupola (Dome) tour in the morning. It’s absolutely stunning! If you can walk up Via della Conciliazione, the road that leads from Saint Angelo Castle to the Vatican. You will be able to see St. Peter’s Basilica as the only building with golden rays during first light at sunrise. As you walk down Via della Concilazione to meet your tour group, you will be treated to a breathtaking view!

The Cupola of St. Peter was an absolute delight! WARNING: If you purchase a regular ticket, you must climb the first 231 stairs! If you purchase an advanced ticket, you will avoid the first 231 stairs by taking an elevator, but you will still have to climb the remaining 320 steps to the top of St. Peter’s Cupola! The climb was tight and awkward because the stairs are between two walls and the space is curved with the roof line, making it difficult for taller people to climb the stairs. If you are claustrophobic, the second half of the climb may be difficult.

Bramante, the original architect of St. Peter’s Basilica, began work in 1506. His design was influenced by the Pantheon’s design. Sangallo, who succeeded Bramante in 1513, would use the Florence Cathedral and the Pantheon to further develop the design of St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelangelo redesigned the dome from 1547 to 1564, taking the design from Bramante and Sangallo and helping to give it the ovoid shape that it has today. In 1590, Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana completed the dome, not Michaelangelo. 

The attention to detail in the artwork design on the inside of St. Peter’s dome is breathtaking! The artwork on the dome depicts the 16 popes buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, and the Apostles, angels carrying Jesus’ instruments, cherubim and seraphim faces, and many angels. Many artists, including Giovanni de Vecchi, Cesare Nebbia, Giovanni Guerra, and Cavalier d’Arpino, were commissioned to complete this project. A latin inscription at the top of the dome reads, “To the glory of St. Peter, Pope Sixtus V in the year 1590, the fifth of his pontificate.” As the sun’s position changes through the day, the light from top of the dome pours into St. Peter’s Basilica creating amazing light in the basilica!

Our tour guide did not accompany us on the second half of the climb, so when we were allowed to ascend to the dome’s summit, I took off! I wanted to get to the top so I could take in the scenery. When I got to the top, it was just as amazing as I had imagined! I was sweating from sprinting up all 320 stairs to the top, and I welcomed the cool breeze as I arrived at the viewing deck! I can’t describe the tour to the top of St. Peter’s Cupola; it has to be experienced for yourself! It’s an experience I’ve wanted for a long time, and it’s finally come true!

I wished I could have stayed on top of St. Peter’s Basilica all day, but we were on a tour and had to stick to the schedule………..our dome climb tour was in conjunction with our tour of St. Peter’s Basilica.

St. Peter’s Cupola will always be a memory I cherish because of the views, history, and being in the presence of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

Epic, simply epic.