Panorama taken near the middle of St Peter's Square in Rome. this picture shows the colonnades around the plaza, one of the fountains, the massive obelisk and the front of St Peter's Basilica.

St Peter's Square - Rome visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'St Peter's Square' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Roma.

St Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) in Rome is famous throughout the earth and, along with St. Peter's Basilica, one of the most important and most visited tourist attractions. Built to the same dimensions as the Colosseum with a standing capacity of 300,000 people, it part of the Holy See Vatican World Heritage Site. Every Wednesday, when in Rome, the Pope addresses the crowds gathered here for Mass.

The drama and scale of St Peter's Square is best viewed from either the Portico of St Peter's Basilica or from St Peter's Cupola some 140m above the ground. The square was laid out for Pope Alexander VI by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. Bernini had been working for some time on the interior of St Peter's Basilica and had to ensure that the square did not obscure the front of the basilica, gave maximum view of the regular papal address and took in existing buildings and elements of the central obelisk and fountain. His answer was the two opposing, curved, covered colonnades, each of which contains 4 rows of a total of 284 Doric style columns.

The result is inspiring and impressive, a classic masterful display of Baroque theater that continues to awe visitors. Some of the most notable points of St. Peter's Square are:

• Colonnade Statues - a total of 96 statues of various saints and martyrs adorn the tops of the colonnades.
• Vaticano Obelisk - standing in the central point is a 25.5m high Egyptian obelisk made of red granite obelisk from the 13th Century BC. Caligula brought the obelisk to Rome in 37AD, placing it in Circus Gai et Neronis nearby. Pope Sixtus V ordered the obelisk moved to the current site, a task successfully completed in 1586 with the aid of 900 men, 150 horses and 47 purpose-built cranes.
• St Peter's Square Fountains - the fountains were installed at different times, the one on the northern side by Carlo Maderno in 1615, and the southern one in 1675.
• St Peter's Square Compass - inlaid in the cobblestones of the square are lines of white travertine, marking out the points of the compass.
• St Peter's Square Sundial Gnomon - a series of circular stones marking the shadow cast by the tip of the obelisk at noon as the sun entered each of the signs of the zodiac were installed in 1817, turning St Peter's Square into a huge sundial gnomon.
• Vatican Palace - the home of the Pope stands on the north side of the square, to the right of the basilica.

Those wishing to enter St Peter's must note that short and sleeveless shirts are not permitted. Guests not suitably dressed will be turned away at check points in the colonnades, at the end of the queue that can sometimes take over an hour.

Metro: S.Pietro, Ottaviano (A)