Saint Peter’s Square
Saint Peter’s Square was built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. It is surrounded by an elliptical colonnade with two pairs of Doric columns, with Ionic entablatures.
The 40 metre high obelisk in the middle of the colonnade was moved from the Circus of Nero to its present location on the order of Pope Sixtus V. The 13th century B.C. Egyptian obelisk was originally moved to Rome in 37 A.D. It is the second largest standing obelisk and the only one that remained standing since it was erected during the Roman empire.
There are two fountains in the square, the north one by Maderno, the other one by Bernini.
To get the most spectacular view Saint Peter’s square is best reached through the Via della Conciliazione, which was built by Mussolini, after the signing of the Lateran Treaties.