Up a Steep and Very Narrow Stairway: Visiting the Top of St. Peter’s

One of the more challenging and memorable experiences I had in Rome was ascending to the top of the dome, or cupola, at St. Peter’s.

Let’s just say: this isn’t for the faint of heart. In every sense.

My friend Deacon Doug Breckenridge from Dallas asked me if I wanted to give it a shot—there would be a lot of steps, he warned me—and I said, “Why not?” My wife wasn’t interested, so I made the trip solo. Early last Friday morning, I walked from our hotel down to St. Peter’s. I set out around 7 a.m., to meet Doug at 7:30.

The hike along Via Aurelia is pleasant, but the sidewalks are narrow and you need to watch out for people on scooters.

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You pass right by the Pope Paul VI audience hall, where they hold papal audiences and big events during inclement weather. That was my first glimpse that morning of my destination: the apex of the cupola, where there’s a very tall railing to keep people from spilling over the edge.

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The image below from Wikipedia shows where we were headed, with tourists lining along the railing.

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St. Peter’s, early in the morning, is glorious and peaceful and virtually empty.

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Foot traffic, as always, is tightly controlled, and I had to walk the long way around the colonnade to enter and work my way through the metal detectors and x-ray machines.
Every one has to go through the screening process. And I mean: everyone.

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I followed the signs to our appointed meeting place.

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It’s not often you see the square like this. But at 7:30 on a Friday morning, yeah.

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I noticed workers were setting up for the papal Mass to take place Sunday—and saw some guys on that famous balcony supervising the hanging of the giant Jubilee banner.

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It’s really big. I mean: YUUUGE. But then, that’s true about everything at the Vatican.

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The view from inside shows more of what this kind of project entails.

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While waiting for Doug, I took in the baptistry near the front door of St. Peter’s. Yeah. We have one just like that at our church, don’t you?

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When Doug arrived, we walked to the ticket office, somewhere in the basement of St. Peter’s, and got the pricier of the two tickets: 8 Euros, which meant we could take a tiny elevator up to the first level, sparing us some of the steps.

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The elevator takes you to your first stop, which delivers you to a view inside the dome that is nothing short of breathtaking. Steel barriers all around keep you from falling, or jumping, which is a very nice little luxury to have when your vertigo gets the best of you.

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“You are Peter…”

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Once you start those steps, it’s quite a hike. The corridors are narrow.

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And so are the steps—and they are steep.

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But once you make it to the top? The 8 Euros didn’t matter. That view is priceless.

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You can walk all around the top to see different parts of the city—like, here, the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall.

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I held on for dear life while Doug took a picture.

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You see some surprising stuff up there—like a red umbrella.

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I could see our hotel, too: just beyond that tower, that big beige brick building is Casa Bonus Pastor.

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By this time, a little after 8 a.m., it was starting to get crowded. Everybody wants to take the obligatory selfie.

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We headed back down, taking a different set of stairs and elevators.

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At one stop, you can visit a souvenir shop and restaurant. On the roof of St. Peter’s? Who knew?

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The shop sells the usual stuff—but at a significantly higher altitude.

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Doug shows us where we were.

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And if you look in the other direction, you see something most tourists never see: the back of Jesus and the saints.

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We made our way back to earth, and decided to head out for breakfast. One final stop: we browsed for vestments at a couple of the shops on Borgo Pio, just a block from St. Peter’s.

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You want lace? They’ve got that.

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Mitres, too.

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Footnote: I went back to that shop the next afternoon, after we walked with other deacons on the pilgrimage through the Holy Door. It was 10 a.m. and about 75 degrees—but it felt a lot warmer. I thought, “If I’m going to spend two hours sitting in the square for Mass in the sun, I need a lighter alb.” I bought a serviceable 100% polyester one, very light, for 75 Euros (about $85 dollars). It turned out to be a very good investment.

Here’s a shot of me wearing the alb before Mass on Sunday morning. Every deacon received that stole as a souvenir. That’s the NADD’s Thomas Dubois, providing a subtle photobomb—and my wife, praying that the rains would hold off. (We got a brief sprinkling in the middle of Mass, but then the sun broke through again.)

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Meantime, back to the climb: this website gives some of the nitty gritty:

You have 2 options:

1. Climb all the way by foot (551 steps)
2. Take the lift and then climb the rest on foot (320 steps)

The decision is yours. Many consider that the small difference in price is worth it to avoid the initial exhausting section. In addition, there is not much to see.

If you take the lift, you will reach an interior balcony which is actually the base of the dome. Here you can stop calmly and look at the great dome, the beautiful mosaics or the beautiful perspectives of the inside of the Basilica from above.

From here, you can start to climb the spiral staircase which leads up to the upper area, or go down a few steps to a terrace where you will find bathrooms, water fountain, a souvenir shop and a café. From the terrace, you can see the Piazza and the upper statues.

If you climb the spiral staircase, hold your breath and prepare for a climb through a narrow space only livened up by some small windows which provide views of the outside.

The climb takes around 10 minutes.

Once at the top, the icing on the cake: the spectacular 360º views of St Peter’s Square and the city of Rome.

There is another staircase for the way back down. The experience can be done in an hour.

My advice: if you’re able to do it, do it. No one who hates stairs or is afraid of heights should even think of it. Neither should anyone who has any sort of heart condition or leg trouble. Go early in the morning, before 8, like we did. Crowds will be minimal and the peace and serenity will make it a more enjoyable experience. Pay the extra Euros to take the elevator. Pace yourself. Take breaks on the way up. Stop for coffee or to buy a rosary on the way down.

And then marvel at the wonder of it all: being able to spend a few sacred moments atop one of the most famous architectural wonders on earth.

Photos: Deacon Greg Kandra