Within Vatican City, a photo from Vatican City, Lazio

Photographer's Note

Good Morning Everyone,

I'm sure you will recognise this scene, it is so familiar as a place to visit when exploring Rome.
It is, of course, St. Peter's Square.

This is at the public heart of the Vatican City. From this view, you can see St Peter抯 Basilica and its iconic Renaissance dome, which dominates the skyline of Rome. Another monument which you can see is the obelisk that stands at the centre of the square. An obelisk that was brought to Rome from Egypt by Caligula in 37 AD.

There are a number of Egyptian obelisks standing in Rome, in fact eight of them (a further five obelisks were made by Roman stonecutters). There are more erect obelisks from Egypt in Rome than there are anywhere else in the World, including Egypt. They were all brought to Rome by various Roman Emperors. This particular example, often called the Vatican Obelisk and sometimes Caligula抯 Obelisk, is the only ancient Egyptian obelisk in Rome to have remained standing since Roman times.

The Colonnade and statues can just be seen at either side. I will add an unusual view of part of the Colonnade as a workshop.

Have a lovely day, Bev :-)

Fis2, holmertz, ChrisJ, pajaran, pierrefonds, jean113, ikeharel, jhm, PaulVDV, COSTANTINO, worldcitizen has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (170919) 2021-05-24 1:34

Witaj Bev!
Classic from the Vatican.
I like this scene from daily life.
Well done.
Have a nice new week.
Krzysztof

holmertz (102834) 2021-05-24 1:35

Hello Bev,
It's a view that probably everyone in the Western world will recognize. I remember my feelings at seeing this place with my own eyes for the first time. It was quite overwhelming, especially since I had been studying art history for a year, so I knew almost every detail of everything: who did this, who designed that.
This was a perfect day for photography and it didn't matter that one tourist stepped in front of your camera. That is part of the atmosphere in a place like this.
I like the crowd of tiny figures at the bottom of the huge colonnade in the WS.
Best regards,
Gert

ChrisJ (171888) 2021-05-24 2:17

Hello Bev

Did you know that there are more Egyptian obelisks in Rome, either 'imported' from Egypt, or made locally, than there are in all of Egypt! This one is perfectly perpendicular as are the columns either side. The people animate the scene & provide scale. Tfs!

Silvio1953 (221771) 2021-05-24 2:24

Ciao cara Bev, great view of fantastic church, fine details, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pajaran (116041) 2021-05-24 3:11

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lep deo trga i stara arhitektura, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perpsketivom.
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici.
Lepa St Peter抯 Basilica i fotografija, dobro uhvacen trenutak.
Zelim vam sve najbolje u novoj nedelji koja je pocela.
Paja

everlasting (19680) 2021-05-24 3:49

a good street scene and capture of the Vatican. Even as a non Catholic it is very powerful to stand in this square. The man in the striped t-shirt adds to this otherwise static scene

pierrefonds (114584) 2021-05-24 5:13

HI Bev,

You have captured well a daily life scene. The point of view is showing the details of the St.Peter's basilica on the St.Peter's Square. The light is bringing out thebeauty of the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jean113 (27899) 2021-05-24 7:07

Hello Beverley, an excellent view of St Peter's Basilica.
Enough people to animate the scene but not too distracting.
Informative notes.
Kind regards, Jean.

ikeharel (113483) 2021-05-24 7:17

You can't avoid people in such a place, Beverley, and yet - not so crowded on time taken.
marvelous view of the famous piazza, clear photo outcome that shows the superb architecture's design.
Good afternoon,
Ike

jhm (211736) 2021-05-24 8:53

Hello Bev,

I am always very happy with pictures of travelers, I've never made a trip, never in my live, than are everything welcome.
Now on my age shall this also more never. Always worked without vacation.
You show us the obelisk and frontage on a pleasant way.
Excellent photography with excellent quality.
Composition and presentation are excellent done.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

Tue (92514) 2021-05-24 10:07

Hello Beverley,
A great photo of this iconic place. The large dome, the grand fa鏰de the obelisk and a small part of the colonnade are all placed so well in this tight composition. Perfect light and a nice blue sky as well.
Lars

lousat (139352) 2021-05-24 12:13

Hi Bev,nice capture from Piazza San Pietro, with one of the most obelissks of Roma in front of the church,the pic is good,just a pity for the man on the left,while the perspective in the WS is a very professional show! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

PaulVDV (63010) 2021-05-24 15:26

Hello Beverley,
St. Peter's Square wasn't too crowded on that sunny day in September.
A picture that we all easily recognize.
I remember also the famous obelisk on Piazza Navona but I could never have guessed that Egypt has fewer obelisks than Rome. Strange! What if Egypt ever asks to return its cultural heritage?
I also like the photo of the Colonnade in the WS. Possibly a somewhat more difficult to recognize location if Rome was not indicated as the place at the top of the photo.
Funny, the shadow of a pyramid is visible on one of the columns :)
Best regards, Paul

COSTANTINO (116644) 2021-05-24 22:12

hello dear friend
a photo which brought memories into my mind
from my last visit to Vatican
lets hope that these days will come again
and soon i WILL BE ABLE to visit
Vatican again
reards
Costantino

ifege (48217) 2021-05-24 22:14

Hi Bev
2 good photos from the Vatican - both clear and sharp.
cheers
Ian

jemaflor (147270) 2021-05-24 23:01

Hi Bev,
Nice architecture, well photographed, good sharpness and sunlight capture, tfs

jmdias (115312) 2021-05-25 9:28

BEV

yes, these egyptian stones has a long history to tell and if they had life they could remember many scenes of mankind history. nice classic view of the famous church.

take care

jorge

mkamionka (74607) 2021-05-25 12:47

Hi Bev,
great view of the St Peter Basilica. This is probably the most impressive place in Rome.
I think the obelisks are mentioned in the book Da Vinci Code, only the richest cities have the real ones. I think Paris, Washington, Rome...
I would prefer not to have this guy in the foreground but I had the same problem: hundreds of tourists so it would be a bit unrealistic to expect a photo from this place without people.
Maybe in Corona times?
Very well done,
M

ManishaJain (524) 2021-05-26 9:59

Hi Beverley

This is a beautiful composition though the image is appearing to be slightly tilted on left.....very well lit with good contrast....Roman architecture is always impressive....

Regards

Manisha
Re

worldcitizen (16108) 2021-05-31 13:00

Hello Bev,
This is a classic view, and always lovely to see. The architecture is beautiful, and the people walking around create a lively view. Maybe you already know this, but there's also an Egyptian obelisk here in NYC. It is next to the Museum of Natural History, and it's called "Cleopatra's Needle". Take care!

macjake (98456) 2021-06-07 10:17

Hi Bev
you JUST got it tucked in at the top haha, don't you hate it when that happens :) interesting note about the Obelisks, always adding to the overall TE post. Man...looking at these Italy/Vatican shots have really made me miss travelling.
brings back alot of memories. thanks for this one, lots of activity and architectural charm. cheers
Craig