2015.05.12 St Peter's Basilica (Vatican)

Unlike the Vatican Museums, there is no timed entrance for St Peter's Basilica and by most accounts, the line up for the security check can be horrendous. And because St Peter's Square is closed every Wednesday morning for the papal audience, our options were fairly limited.

To avoid the crowd, we headed out bright and early. I'm very thankful to my travel companions for agreeing to skip the hotel breakfast because I know how important breakfast, especially free breakfast, is to them.

We managed to arrive just as a small line was starting to form. Ten minutes and one security check later, we were in St Peter's Basilica.

The Dome

It was only after my last visit to the Vatican that a friend told me about climbing the basilica dome, and I kicked myself hard for not knowing about it earlier. And ever since then, it's been on my list.

We paid a little extra to take the elevator to the roof, saving our legs for the challenging climb to the top.

The elevator building

View from the roof

Inside the Dome

The dome was designed by Michelangelo so going in, you already had high expectations.

And the maestro blew them to smithereens. I mean, look at that ceiling.

The mosaic angels on the dome walls. The subtle shading of the facial contours using mosaic is beyond amazing.

And only from above, could I truly appreciate the intricate tile designs of the basilica marble floor.

The entryway to the top of the dome was temporarily closed and the Vatican guard would not tell us why except that it would be reopened in twenty minutes. After what seemed more like forty minutes, we saw paramedics carry down a middle-aged women in a canvas hammock, followed by her very worried family.

I started getting a little worried too, since I wasn't sure if my travel companions were fit enough to make it to the top and back. But they seemed confident enough so up we went.

It started simple enough... and then the stairs started getting more and more narrow. We were climbing inbetween the inner and outer shells of the dome. And after a while, it really did feel like the walls were closing in. Definitely not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia.

And the final flight of stairs was so narrow that rope was needed.

But the climb was so worth it. The view at the top was absolutely amazing.

The Vatican Museums

You can just about make out the golden "Sphere within a Sphere" in the Courtyard of the Pinecone.

The Vatican Gardens

There's even a faux waterfall.

It's difficult to see, hindered by the shadow of the dome, but the papal seal has been recreated in the flower bed. 

Is this the papal way of saying "Leo XIII was here"?

I can only imagine the hook is for the window cleaners?

And more stairs going down...

The camera is not tilted. The walls really were that slanted. No wonder the paramedic had to use a hammock instead of a regular stretcher.

The rest of the roof was fenced off, sadly. Given the number of guards there, I'd guess it's for security purposes. 

We were just about behind St Matthews on the left.

And did you know that there is a souvenir shop and a cafe on the basilica roof? Operated by nuns? Because it certainly came as a surprise to me.

St Peter's Basilica

Another revisit so please just enjoy the photos.

Statue of St Peter Enthroned, whose right foot is pretty much gone from centuries of kisses and touches.

And now people are starting to go after his other foot.

What I can only assume to be the entry to the crypt. Check out the zoomed-in photo on the right - The skeleton (Death? Time?) holding an hourglass looming over the doorway. Really macabre.

Air vent grate over the crypts. I could actually see people moving down there. 

By the time we came out of the basilica, the line outside had extended all the way along the colonnade and was growing. Coming early was definitely the right decision.

Dinner: Carrefour supermarket