St Peter´s Basilica

Built under Constantine on the site of the tomb of Saint Peter, the original St. Peter's basilica, constructed in 326, was a sumptuous early Christian edifice almost as large as the present one. When the basilica began showing signs of age, the popes decided to build a new one and appointed a 101 covered to reveal the brilliant colors of Michelangelo's original palette. The scaffolding at the end wall partly covers his Last Judgment, the success of whose restoration will not be up for our judgment until completion in 1994.

The Apostolic Library: Two paintings predominate here, the Greek Odyssey landscape series and the Roman Aldo brandini Wedding. In addition, temporary exhibits display the wonders of the library's rare book and manuscript collection. Pinacoteca. Paintings by Giotto, Melozzo da Forli, Ra phael, Bellini, Reni, and Domenichino will delight the retina still capable of retaining anything after having seen the rest of the museums. Leonardo's unfinished Saint Jerome, although poorly restored, conveys the saint's pathos. Cara vaggio's Deposition and Poussin's Martyrdom of Saint Eras mus present an interesting comparison the former's immediacy contrasting with the latter's academic distance.

Before leaving, have a look at the museum gift shop, which, among its many reproductions and religious articles, sells men's ties patterned with papal coats of arms. After lunch, return to the immense oval of piazza San Pietro, which can now be enjoyed at a leisurely pace without having to worry about the pearly gates of the 'morning's attractions slamming shut. At noon on Sundays Pope John Paul II gives a blessing from his window in the Apostolic Palace, the second from the right on the top floor. At variable times on Wednesday mornings he holds an audience. In the summer, until the pope moves to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo (see the Lazio chapter), it takes place in the piazza. In the winter the audience is held in the new audience hall designed by Pier Luigi Nervi in 1971, for which permission must be received by writing to the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Citta del Vaticano, 00120 Rome, or applied for in advance and in person at the bronze door to the right of the piazza.

succession of architects to supervise the project. Bramante, Raphael, Sangallo, Michelangelo, and others were involved at one point or another, and their designs alternately called for Greek and Latin cross plans. Michelangelo's design for a Greek cross and dome was being carried out at the time of his death in 1564, but under Paul V it was decided to extend the front portion to conform to the outlines of Constantine's original basilica. This unfortunately makes Michelangelo's dome appear to sink as you approach the entrance, although it is the glory of the Roman skyline from elsewhere in the city. Carlo Maderno designed the facade and portico (where Giotto's Navicella ceiling mosaic from the old basilica was installed) in an early Baroque style.

As you step inside (you will not be admitted wearing shorts, skirts above the knees, or sleeveless dresses St. Peter's dress code is stricter than Lutece's or Claridge's, but the ambience is worth it), the effect is as dazzling as was intended. Perfect proportions mask the vastness of St. Peter's, but spotting the minuscule forms of other visitors beneath the gigantic statues, or a look at the comparative lengths of other European churches traced in metal on the floor of the nave confirms its enormous size. The immense city of history is also immediately present at the round porphyry slab set into the pavement in front of the central door: On this stone, on Christmas in the year 800, Leo III crowned the kneeling Charlemagne the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the first chapel on the right, Michelangelo's Pieta stands behind the glass erected after the sculpture was assaulted in 1972. At the right end of the nave is Arnolfo di Cambia's bronze statue of St. Peter Enthroned, its foot worn by the touches and kisses of the faithful over the centuries. Over the high altar soars Bernini's gilded bronze baldac chino, its four fluted columns spiraling up to support a canopy crowned by an orb and cross a hundred feet above the floor.

Be sure to note the more down-to-earth, human dimension of the carvings of a woman's features in the marble pedestals that support the columns; the facial expressions become progressively more contorted, culminating in the smiling visage of a newborn infant. Legend has it that Pope Urban VII asked Bernini to add the sequence in gratitude for his favorite niece surviving a difficult childbirth.

Bernini was entrusted with the decoration of the interior of St. Peter's, and his works abound throughout. In the apse behind the baldacchino is his reliquary of the throne of Saint Peter, topped by a stained glass representation of the Holy Spirit. His tomb of Alexander VII in the passage leading International flights generally land at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino, about 30 km (18 miles) southwest of Rome.

A train leaves the airport for the center of Rome every 20 minutes and takes about 25 minutes, with a stop in Trastevere, to reach its destination, Ostiense, near the Pyra mid of Cestius. From there you can take the B line metro to the main train station (four short stops) or catch a taxi.

Tickets for the train from the airport cost 5,000 lire and must be purchased before boarding from a booth in the arrivals area or from machines at the turnstiles (requiring exact change). Tickets must be retained for onboard con trol. The train operates from 6:30 A.M. to 12:45 AM., after which there are night buses into the center of Rome every hour on the hour until 5:00 AM.

Rome's other airport, Ciampino, is about 16 km (10 miles) southeast of the city and is used mainly by charter flights. ACOTRAL buses provide service to the Cinecitta metro stop, which will take you into the center of Rome. But unless you are familiar with the metro, taxis are your best bet. Take only authorized yellow cabs, make sure the meter is turned on, and be forewarned that cabdrivers are entitled to charge a 10 percent surcharge when travelling to or from either to the left transept is but one highlight among many magnify cent monuments in the church by other artists. The Treasury, reached from the left aisle near the transept, houses a valuable collection of sacred relics.

Room III contains Pollaiuolo's tomb of Sixtus IV Back near Arnolfo's statue of Saint Peter is the entrance to the Vatican Grottoes, a dimly lit church containing a number of chapels and tombs. Beneath them are the famous excavations of what is held to be the original tomb of Saint Peter, where in the 1940s an ancient crypt containing bones and the remains ofa garment fitting the description of Saint Peter's were discovered by archaeologists. Permission to enter must be obtained from the Ufficio Scavi.

For a final survey of your visit to the Vatican, take the elevator at the front of the left aisle for a walk on the roof. Inspired souls may then continue up the 537 steps to the lantern for a last inspirational view of the Vatican, Rome, the Alban Hills, and the surrounding blessed countryside.

airport. In addition, there are late night rates, Sunday and holiday surcharges, and a small fee for each piece of luggage you put in the trunk. International (and most national) trains arrive at Rome's central station, Stazione Termini, where you can catch a bus, a taxi, or the subway. Some trains arrive at Stazione Tibertina or Stazione Trastevere; these are less central but are served by taxis and buses.

Driving in Rome is best left to those who can trace their ancestry back to a charioteer or two. Crossing the street should satisfy anyone's taste for the heroic, but if you must have a car and want to rent it, make all the arrangements before coming to Europe to avoid paying the hefty value added tax.
Adrian vultur writes for holiday illness claim