Piazza San Pietro

A large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.
At the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in «the maternal arms of Mother Church». A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613.
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. It was designed «so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace.»
St. Peter’s Square can be reached from the Ponte Sant’Angelo along the grand approach of the Via della Conciliazione (in honor of the Lateran Treaty of 1929). The spina (median with buildings which divided the two roads of Borgo vecchio and Borgo nuovo) which once occupied this grand avenue leading to the square was demolished ceremonially by Benito Mussolini himself on October 23, 1936 and was completely demolished by October 8, 1937.

While waiting to get into the Vatican, a storm cloud suddenly blew in and we spent a good portion of viewing this Piazza while ducking rain drops. Thankfully, upon our exit from the Vatican, the clouds had cleared and we were afforded the opportunity to view the piazza in its entirety.
Large, expansive and beautiful, I can’t imagine the crowds during a mass held by the pope.
The allure of the Piazza are is the stunning architecture that encases it… without the silhouettes as a backdrop, the piazza would be un– extraordinary.

Really beautiful landmark and educational tour for all ages. Architecture and history are amazing. Be prepared to take loads of pictures and spend an entire day here.

Gorgeous day and night!
Anyone and everyone should see this place at least once in their life!

I did feel a strong presence in this square, even though I’m not Catholic.
Walking here the streets were lined with beggars, mostly without socks and shoes, and without a foot or leg, just panning for money. Really sad situation :(
Tourist carts selling souvenirs to bring home.
Finally walking up there are massive columns and lines of people. Many beautiful statues on the top of the building, such detail, and architecture.
Huge lines at the front of the Vatican to get inside and see the painted ceilings and amazing works of art, maybe a chance to see the Pope himself.
I saw a wedding shoot, I think they were models doing a shoot in front if the Vatican.

Der Petersplatz beeindruckt durch seine Größe und imponiert durch seine architektonische Bauweise. Die Kolonnaden von Bernini sollen die Besucher auf dem Platz in ihre Arme zu nehmen scheinen.
Besonders zur Ostermesse drängen sich auf dem Platz tausende von gläubigen Christen aus aller Welt, um den Segen des Papstes zu erhalten.

Well worth visiting at dusk — the darkness falling behind the statues makes for a brilliant mood, and the the place lights up wonderfully. Far fewer people too, which is nice after the mid morning crowds.
There are some homeless people setting up sleeping bags among the columns, but going there several times, we’ve never been accosted — these are just folks looking for a place to sleep.

Go on a Wednesday to see the Pope. It’s so cool to be there with all those people — and see what it’s like in real life after seeing it on TV. I enjoyed being at the service on the Square more than the Vatican Museum.

We entered the Vatican museum and existed through Sistine Chapel and went inside St. Peter’s Basilica (amazing to say the least!) and we went to the square and the fountains and architecture was absolutely gorgeous. Came here for the day and we really enjoyed our time here and were very impressed by the architecture and beauty inside the Basilica. This really is an amazing place to visit– even if it is just for the day. You will stand in the square and see 360 degree views of ancient beauty. The Basilica was massive and looked gorgeous from the outside and inside– and the powerful feeling you get being there is once in a life time type of thing.

Pretty cool place. Beautiful scenery and architecture. You can see the window where the pope appears. You can find locals chilling around and just sitting down on the streets nearby. Oh and there are hustlers who sell selfie sticks for 5euros

After the Vatican Museum tour and Sistine Chapel tour… you would came out to the San Peter Square.
YES, this is where Pope meeting all his people!!!
Huge huge huge square, definitely a popular photo opportunity spot. Many people love to use Panorama feature on their phone to capture the whole structure.
Try to schedule one day here… because for the tours and taking lots of pictures here, you really don’t want to rush.

St. Peter ‘s Square is wonderful in and of itself, not to mention the Basilica or Vatican Museums.
I loved staying across the street at our B&B and just walking thru the square in the morning, afternoon and evening.
I just liked people watching. Especially the nuns and priests that work here. It was so neat to see them with a backpack, a briefcase or even an ice cream!
Watching children and foreigners was so much fun too. We even saw a newscaster for NBC. Not to mention the locals that come out in the late afternoon to stroll and walk their pooches.
Sit under the columns in the shade and just watch and absorb. Wonderful.

Ma première image de Rome ! Monumentale, somptueuse, symétrique, incroyable…
Cette place Saint Pierre vous laisse sans voix tellement vous vous sentez minuscule. Dominée par la tout aussi incroyable basilique Saint Pierre. Entourée de colonnes immenses et surplombée par les bâtiments du Vatican. Un obélisque central et quelques fontaines pour agrémenter le tout.
Le pape y fait une messe chaque mercredi matin, pour laquelle il est possible de réserver des places assises sur le site internet du Vatican.
Il fait aussi une bénédiction le dimanche midi. Plus sommaire. Pour le coup, il le fait d’une petite fenêtre en haut d’un des bâtiments du Vatican, certes retransmit sur écrans géants mais peut être moins impressionnant.
J’ai eu l’occasion d’y aller à plusieurs reprises puisque l’appartement qu’on louait se situait juste à côté. La place est souvent prise d’assaut par les touristes. Mais il n’y a pas de bousculades et toujours un sentiment de respect. Les cultures se mélangent et croyants comme non croyants se sentent subjuguer par le lieu.
Coup de coeur ultime pour cette place aux alentours de 19h30 /​20h en printemps et en été. Désertée par une grande partie des touristes et les vendeurs à la sauvette puisque la basilique est déjà fermée. Les gens encore présents jouent aux cartes, font de la musique, naviguent sur leur tablette, lisent… Et la lumière y est incroyable. Le soleil commençant à décliner, les reflets rose et bleu se confondent avec les bâtiments. Sublime !

Der 2. schönste Platz in Rom! Né, ist ja gar nicht Rom, ist Vatikanstadt! :-) Egal! Nur noch schöner ist es oben auf der Kuppel des Petersdoms!
Es ist total schön Ende November bei ca. 20 Grad in der Sonne mitten auf dem Petersplatz zu sitzen und sich auszuruhen. Es gibt nichts besseres wenn man zuvor 1,5 Std. in der Schlange zum Vatikanischen Museum gestanden und danach dieses noch 2,5 Std durchwandert hat. Einfach mal im Schatten des Obelisken ausruhen, während man die Menschen beobachtet, die beim Petersdom Schlange stehen und die Schlange einmal Rund um den Petersplatz geht. Wenn man sich dann dazu entscheidet am nächsten Morgen früh wieder zu kommen und man so circa gegen 8:30 Uhr den Platz fast für sich allein hat… unbezahlbar!!!
Aber im Ernst! Tolle Atmosphäre dort!

Ein wirklich schöner Platz. Ich war Anfang Februar da — Vorteile sind zahlreich: der Platz ist nicht zu sehr von Touristen vollgestellt, es gibt viel weniger von den nervigen Verkäufern, es ist nicht zu heiss UND die Schlange zur Sixtinischen Kapelle sieht zwar lang aus, aber man kommt schneller rein als gedacht.
Ausserdem hat man alle Zeit der Welt um Fotos zu machen (wenn man schnell genug ist, schafft man sogar ein Bild ohne Menschen!).

If your tour guide announces that the bus leaves at 7am for Vatican City — don’t you dare whine about it! I know it’s early but once you are there and see the amount of people waiting to get inside the complex you will be soooo glad you got up early.
And don’t worry, you don’t have to be super religious to appreciate the beauty of Vatican City — the architecture, and the artwork and just the grandeur of it all is crazy.
— — — — — — — — — — —
Some additional info — If you happen to be looking for a gift there are at least a dozen shops between the museum and square to shop in. My grandmother had requested a rosary specifically from the Vatican. There were several different types to choose from but I picked up an actual rose-​a-​ry. The VC employee I spoke to said that the original rosaries were actually made of rose petals, hence the name. Each rosary is hand rolled and strung together by nuns at the Vatican. How awesome and authentic is that? When she mentioned the rose petals my first instinct was to smell the rosary… and it actually smelled like roses! So beautiful.

I love Piazza San Pietro! It’s just so beautiful with St Peter’s basilica right at the center. Take lots of pictures!

Who hasn’t heard of the Vatican? Even if you are not Christian, its a landmark almost everyone is familiar with, especially given Pope Francis’s cool status nowadays.
Since the Museum is closed on Sunday, we decided to make a trip to Vatican City on Saturday. As expected, the piazza was bustling with people, not to mention the huge line which formed from one end of the piazza to the other. A tour guide started chatting us up about giving us an affordable tour and the option to skip the line. You will find plenty of tour guides which will try to tell you that your are getting the best price. Go with the more reliable option of scheduling a tour ahead of time online and not worrying about the locals ripping you off.
I felt a tad bit cooler by thinking that technically I was not in Italy since Vatican is considered an independent state hence making it the smallest country on Earth.

Beautiful location at the Vatican, something you should definitely see at least once. It’s all been said BUT I’m going to go with four stars over five because of the nativity scene and half decorated Christmas tree. Yes, I know, tis the season and I’m no Scrooge but after looking at thousand year old statues, priceless artwork by Michaelangelo, and the burial places of the popes it feels slightly tacky to have a plastic seeming nativity scene dead center. It killed the vibe a bit but oh well :)

Complicado escribir una reseña de un sitio tan emblemático y significativo sin querer caer en posibles comentarios que puedan ofender a alguien, la verdad. La Plaza de San Pedro, para mí, es el Wall Street de la industria católica. Si la prostitución, dicen, es la profesión más antigua de mundo, la Iglesia es la empresa más longeva de la humanidad. Y su sede está aquí, en el Vaticano. Extrañamente, la fe todavía no cotiza en bolsa…
La Piazza San Pietro es impresionante, espectacular, llamativa, sobrecogedora… simplemente viéndola desde fuera. Yo venía de paseo rápido matutino por Roma porque no tenía mucho tiempo para hacer las infinitas colas y entrar en su interior (otra vez será), pero la sola experiencia de sentirse abrazado por la columnata y sentirse minúsculo ante la basílica y su majestuosa cúpula hacen que necesite escribir aquí y compartir con todo el mundo que es algo que todos deberíamos presenciar alguna vez en la vida.
En el centro hay un enorme obelisco, como en casi toda Roma, que suele tenerlos en muchas plazas públicas, y en sus alrededores hay cantidad de personas ofreciendo tours por el interior, aunque de dudosa legalidad o calidad.

A must-​stop in Rome! My friend and I, vacationing in Italy, came to St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican area on a Sunday (later, I found out there was a Catholic Grandparents event that day and some 50,000 pilgrims headed to the Vatican that day for this event). Since it was the last Sunday of the month, the line for the Vatican Museum was extremely long. However, the line to enter St. Peter’s Square was surprisingly small. Even so, there were already thousands of people gathered in the Square listening on the Sunday address. We had to go through airport-​like security before passing into the Square.
The Square is located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and at the center of the Square is an obelisk. Colonnades surround and define the circumference of the piazza.
I felt very fortunate to have seen Pope Francis, riding around in the Popemobile less than three feet away from me! What an amazing opportunity! If you want the glance to see the Pope in his Popemobile, try to get closer to the barriers for the best photo op. As with St. Peter’s Basilica and most of the Vatican, be aware of the strict dress code. No shorts or skirts above the knees, no sleeveless shirts, no hats inside, and no shirts with profanity.

When in Roma you must come to the Vatican period. If not you are doing yourself a disservice to one of the finest attractions you will see in your lifetime!
Pizza San Pietro is the Super Bowl of entrances to the Vatican. You see it on TV for Easter mass and when the Pope is elected but the size and design of this is pretty breath taking and clearly amazing!
Be careful for pickpockets, purse snatchers and the rest of the con people (men and women) of Rome. They will even try to thieve from you here in one of the holiest places in the world (let’s hope they enjoy the flames and punishment of afterlife for their deeds on poor tourists).
The line for the basilica moves pretty fast in the morning and moderately slower in the afternoon.
A word of caution******* If you plan on visiting the Basilica and Vatican don’t come dressed in short shorts or your muscle beach tank top. For ladies you may need a shall to cover up the shoulder and longer skirts! They will turn you away. Use some common sense and see this is one of the holiest places and they are conservative in dress!
*******Beware of unauthorized taxi drivers and tour guides here. They will prey on you when you arrive or leave. We we approached by one authorized white cab who wanted to take us back to Trastevere. The ride here was 6.90 €. This idiot wanted to charge 15 € flat rate. I told him «he was a scam artist»! The tour guides are pretty aggressive and although we came with pre– booked tours of the Vatican museum and garden they told us ours was no good! Beware and kindly tell then to «get lost»!

The area is quite good here as their is lot to capture and sink in. You have a lot of huge beautiful columns around the whole Piazza… kind of a boarder lining. Their are a lot of sculptures, a decent size fountain and a Egyptian obelisk. But all this provides more appeal to the focal point which is the Basilica itself.

We were in Rome for our Honeymoon and it just so happened the same weekend they were picking the new Pope. It wasn’t as packed as I’d expect, considering the new Pope, but it was certainly busy. The line to enter the Basilica was extremely long, but we were very surprised with how quickly it moved.
Walking into the Piazza there are massive columns you pass to enter the wide, spread out Piazza. This thing is massive. Immediately I was hit with how impressive it is to be staring out over a place with millions of gathered.
The entire Piazza is surrounded by the columns and on top of them are awesome sculptures. While in line take the time to check them out. Zoom in with your camera if you have a good zoom and take a look at how extremely detailed the sculptures are — fascinating.
While the Basilica is the star of the show, the Piazza lives up to what you have always seen on TV.

10/​27/​2013
This review is long-​overdue.
My husband was very keen on visiting the Vatican City when we were in Rome.
and Yes, St. Peters Square was everything we imagined (and better than photos)!
We tried coming here on Saturday afternoon to the Basilica, but the Square was closed off due to some ceremony that was going on inside to celebrate the Pope. So, our last resort was to join the masses on Sunday morning the next day. That Sunday happened to be the LAST Sunday of the month, where entrance was FREE and we knew the place was going to be PACKED.
We woke up early on Sunday and arrived at St. Peters Square at 7:00 am, and we were one of the first groups in line. We were let in shortly after we stood in line (maybe a 7 min wait) and — the square was AMAZING. :)
There were thousands of seats set up for mass (which started at 10:00 am). We had almost front row seats! My husband chose a good area to sit, as we were able to see Pope Francesco very clearly when he came out at 10:30 am. The views were glorious, inspiring and uplifting.
Even though we had to wait quite a few hours before mass started, our seats were INCREDIBLE and we could see all angles of St. Peters Square (in front of us, and behind us). We’re so glad we were able to experience such grandeur! :)

Bela italia

man kommt sich schon ziemlich klein vor wenn man auf dem petersplatz steht. wirklich beeindruckend

Wirklich super waren am Pfingstsonntag sa und hatten ubs die Messe angeschaut wirklich super. Incl. Papst einfach ein Erlebnis. Vorsicht wer die touristische Busfahrt macgt muss lange warten weil alle Straßen abgesperrt wurden.

Dieser Platz ist groß und schön, und ich erlebe ihn jedes Mal seit 2004
aufs Neue, doch diesmal ist es mir durch Hinweis meiner Begleitung
aufgefallen, wie schmutzig es hier eigentlich ist. Der Boden der Piazza San Pietro in Vatikan
war bei meinem letzten Besuch vor ein paar Tagen leider voll geklebt
mit Kaugummis, zwischen den Steinen lagen weggeworfene Zigarettenkippen
und wuchs das Moos, auch waren manche Steine auf diesem riesigen Platz
gelb gestrichen?!, was mich sehr an Stolpersteine in Hamburg oder Köln
erinnert hat, und immer wieder konnte man auch Essensreste oder
Taschentücher der unaufmerksamen Besucher sehen. So stellt man sich das
Zentrum einer Weltreligion nicht, und ebenso wenig passte dazu die
schlecht gelaunte Security im Petersdom, die uns den Zutritt zum
Hauptaltar verweigert hat, nur weil ich, anders als die anderen, keine
Lust hatte zu behaupten, ich ginge ja auch gerade zur Messe :-/​Wenn man
sich trotzdem entscheidet, diesen riesigen Platz zu besuchen, dann
empfehle ich den späten Nachmittag, kurz vor der Dämmerung, bei dem sich
der Himmel über Rom wunderschön rot und lila färbt und man dem
einzigartigen Schauspiel der Natur beiwohnen kann.

Il y a beaucoup de monde, en fait le monde entier, une simple place, large, avec des colonnes et des gardes suisses.

wirklich beeindruckend ist dieser riesige Platz, nicht nur wegen der Größe selbst und den umschließnedne gebäuden, wenn man sich vorstellt, dasss dieser Platz voll ist. man muss ihn gesehen haben

è necessario andare a vedere il Vaticano di notte!

Wer diesen Platz nicht kennt, hat Rom verpennt. Ein phänamonales Architekturerlebnis des
schönsten Platzes der Welt, den der liebe Gott sich über wie die Italiener zum Papst sagen,
Pappa Roma, hat reservieren lassen
Fazit; Tutti Fantastico

best place, best city in the world, we come back, big promise

Belissimo! Rom muss man einfach erlebt haben. italienischer Charme, super Küche und eine unvergessliche Architektur

Visto in luna di miele per 5 giorni e tutto ciò che è possibile entro 12 ore. Posto bellissimo. Inoltre, siamo stati dentro, incredibilmente bello qui. Ogni volta nella vita avrebbe dovuto essere qui.
Viewed in the honeymoon for 5 days and everything what is possible within 12 hours. Beautiful place. Also, we were inside, incredibly beautiful here. Every once in life should have been here.
In den Flitterwochen hier für 5 Tage und alles angeschaut was innerhalb 12 Stunden machbar ist. Wunderschöner Platz. Auch wir waren drin, unglaublich schön hier. Jeder sollte einmal im Leben hier gewesen sein.

La Plaza es una obra monumental y que impresiona a su llegada. las columnas forman una elipse que parece que te abrace

Du monde et du monde pour une place qui n’a rien de si extraordinaire. A fuir pendant la haute saison.

Une des plus belles places du monde. Attention aux pick-​pokets !

Schöner Platz zum innehalten, Wasserflasche auffüllen. Sonntags kleine Segnung durch den Papst dann kann die Woche starten

Plaza impresionante, con multitud de personas visitandola y donde puede haber una cola larguisima para acceder a la Basilica. En su centro se encuentra un gran obelisco. Ademas tambien hay unas fuentes muy bonitas. Numerosisimas columnas la rodean. Impresionantes vistas de la plaza si subes a lo alto de la Basilica

Als Kreuzfahrer sollte man selber mit den Zug aus Cevic. mit dem Zug bis St. Pietro fahren und dann den Vatikan auf sich wirken lassen, Phantastisch.

Einfach sich mal Zeit nehmen und hier innehalten.
Es lohnt sich.

Auf diesem Platz gibt es einen Punkt, den «Centro del Colonnato» … von diesem Punkt aus verschwinden alle Säulen in den hinteren Reihen (Blickrichtung zum Vatican).
Echt beeindruckend. Ich bin da schon mindestens 3 mal drüber gelaufen, ohne es zu merken … dank Stadtführer nun auch dieses Detail entdeckt ;)

Ich hab ihn gesehen. Gestern Nacht. Aus einem Airbus.
Eines der wenigen Sehenswürdigkeiten, die man auch nachts aus der Luft gut erkennen kann. Die Form des Plazes ist schnell zu erfassen, dann erkennt man auch die Kuppel des Petersdoms. Der Tiber zeichnet sich nur als dunkle Fläche in das Lichtermeer. Auch Engelsburg und Colloseum sind nur zu erkennen wenn man genau weiss wo man gucken muss.
Und mit diesem Abstand gefällt mir der Vatikan auch wieder ganz gut.

Dieser Platz ist wahrhaft beeindruckend. Besonders zu empfehlen ist dieser Platz am Abend wenn kein bzw. kaum ein Tourist sich hier befindet. Dann wirkt er in seiner ganzen Größe auf einen! Echt gut!
Tagsüber ist er in der Regel voller Besucher und ist, so finde ich, nicht mehr ganz so beeindruckend. Sollte man in Rom aber auf jeden Fall zumindest einmal besucht haben!

Einer der Weltweit beeindruckendsten Plätzen in meinen Augen.
Die Colonaden von Bernini, die Basilika di San Petro, die Via de la Conciliazone, der Petersplatz des Vatikans, des kleinsten Stadtstaates der Welt ist Tag und Nacht sehenswert — wie viele tausende Touristen täglich ebenfalls finden!

Am Tag einer der Hauptmagneten für Touristen, sollte man den Platz auf jeden Fall auch in der Nacht besuchen.
Wenn es dunkel ist, der Petersdom vollständig ausgeleuchtet ist und man (mit ein wenig Glück) die beleuchteten Gemächer des Pabstes sehen kann, hat der Platz einen eigenen Charme. Überall sitzen dann kleine Gruppen auf dem Platz und unterhalten sich oder schauen sich die beeindruckende Architektur an.
Wenn man sich dann vorstellt, wie es hier zu den großen Feiertagen zugeht, nimmt man den Platz in einem anderen Licht war.

Probablement la place la plus connue de la ville de Rome (et même sans doute du monde), cette immense place circulaire fait face à la basilique St Pierre.
Comme la plupart des places de Rome, il y a fontaines et obélisque, cette place est très jolie et vous serez sans doute tenter de vous faire prendre en photo ici avec la basilique en arrière plan.
La place est entourée d’arcades très sympa pour se mettre à l’abri du soleil Romain.