St. Peter's Basilica

The very impressive St Peter's Basilica can't fail to impress, and in fact it's also the world's largest church, so the sheer size alone is sumptuous. There is absolutely no church that can even compare to this magnificent work, either inside or out.

As St Peter's is located in the Vatican, the Pope holds most of his services either inside the church or in the large St Peter's Square in front of the church, so there might be a chance to attend mass with the Pope himself.

The dome of St Peter's is also the largest in the world, standing 136 metres high and 42 metres in diameter, so it's certainly a sight to behold in the urban landscape. The story goes that St Peter's was built on the tomb of St Peter - one of the 12 apostles, he was martyred around 64 AD during the Christian persecutions launched by Emperor Nero, who, as we know, also managed to burn large parts of Rome to the ground.

The first church on the site was built in the first century and was already considered an incredible architectural masterpiece. The present church was built between 1506 and 1626, with Michelangelo, among others, making a great contribution to its design. The famous church façade measures 115 metres in width and is 46 metres high. The top of the façade is decorated with the six-metre high statues of Christ and the Apostles, as well as John the Baptist.

When visitors enter the church, they really realize how huge it is and how magnificently it is decorated, with the marble sculpture by Michelangelo, the Pieta, with Mary holding the body of her dead son, an experience in art that can never be erased from memory.

From here we can only recommend that plenty of time is set aside for this unique, amazing and absolutely incredible visit to St Peter's in the Eternal City.