Italy Page 10
The Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica

We decided to make the journey up into the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica. The trip up into the dome begins with an elevator ride up onto the roof of the basilica. The view from the roof is incredible. The building was much taller than we expected. Because of the immense scale of everything (HUGE windows, HUGE doors, HUGE columns), a person has no real sense of perspective or size. It isn't until you get up on top of the building that you finally grasp the immensity of the structure. Of course, the roof of the basilica is really only the beginning. The trip up into the dome is breathtaking (literally!). The dome soars to a height of four hundred and fifty feet. Three hundred and twenty three steps up from the roof.