Climbing the dome of St Peter’s is an experience to be had at least once in a lifetime. If visiting the Basilica is already a great emotion in itself, admiring Rome from the highest point of the Vatican is breathtaking.
Rome is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world and undoubtedly the one with the oldest history to tell. A city that would deserve months of visiting to discover and admire it all. Every corner, every glimpse, every small street of the eternal city tells a story and deserves to be immortalised in a shot.
About climbing the dome of St Peter’s Basilica, one has to plan for at least half a day. To climb up the dome, in fact, you have to queue as if you wanted to enter the Basilica, a queue that can be more or less long depending on the day, the time of day or particular events. In my case, for example, it took me almost an hour and forty minutes to get to the safety controls. To find less of a queue, I recommend entering around lunchtime.
When you get to the parvis of the Basilica you can choose whether to enter St Peter’s or to get in line for the ticket to climb the dome. There are two possible tickets to climb up the dome of St Peter’s: the 8 euro ticket, with which you have to walk up all 551 steps, and the 10 euro ticket that, thanks to a lift, will allow you to skip about 200 steps. I chose the 8 euro ticket, convinced that this experience should be enjoyed to the full! The 320 steps from the terrace to the top of the dome are definitely the worst and must be done in both cases.
The first stop for everyone, whether ascending on foot or arriving by lift, is the little terrace at the base of the dome. From here you can look down to watch people walking inside the Basilica with its imposing Bernini canopy. Or look up and admire the ceiling of the dome, divided into no less than 16 parts with decorations, friezes and cornices by numerous artists. The Dome is one of the largest masonry domes in the world and consists of two overlapping domes to take the weight off. It was built by Giacomo Della Porta following Michelangelo Buonarroti’s designs, weighs over 14,000 tonnes and has an external height of 133 metres while the internal diameter is about 42 metres.
The most fascinating part of the journey, to get to the top of the dome just below the golden sphere surmounted by the cross, is the one that passes between the two domes. Tiny, oblique steps follow the inner dome itself and lead outside via a tiny spiral staircase. From the walkable area around the dome, at the foot of the golden sphere, there is a breathtaking view of St Peter’s Square and the panorama of the beautiful city of Rome! You can also get a glimpse of what Vatican City looks like inside with the Church government buildings and the many beautiful gardens.
Whether you admire it from the inside or from the outside, the dome of St. Peter’s offers unique emotions and suggestions, and climbing it, is one of those things that must be done at least once in a lifetime!
