La Basilica Papale di San Pietro (Papal Basilica of Saint Peter) is the largest Catholic church in the world. Emperor Constantine I wanted to honor Saint Peter’s martyrdom by building a church on the site of his tomb. The old St. Peter’s Basilica stood from the 4th to 16th centuries while the “new” St. Peter’s Basilica as seen today was built between 1506 and 1615. The principal architect of St. Peter’s was Donato Bramante. Michelangelo designed St. Peter’s Dome and is well-known for painting the Sistine Chapel. Carlo Maderno worked to design the nave and façade. The piazza and colonnade in front of St. Peter’s Church was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Baroque style church is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture.

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world nestled within Rome, Italy, and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It’s only fitting they designed St. Peter’s to be the largest church of the Catholic faith. Built from travertine stone, St Peter’s Basilica stands over 450 feet tall and is over 730 feet long. Its dome is the tallest in the world and the church can hold up to 60,000 people. Size isn’t the only thing that sets it apart. The opulence is overwhelming. There is more of everything: 5 organs, 10 chapels, 44 altars, and more than 400 statues. Intricate carvings and mosaics are everywhere. Thirteen statues line the façade, with Christ the Redeemer flanked by Saint John the Baptist and Saint Andrew at the center. One of the most visually striking things to me is the interior floor and different types of marble found throughout. It’s filled with the common white marble sourced from Italy, but also has an abundance of green, yellow, red, and blue-colored marble that came from distant parts of Italy and the ancient Roman Empire.

Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica attracts millions of visitors per year and is one of the top sights to visit in Rome. Ponte Sant’Angelo is a pedestrian bridge spanning the River Tiber and was built nearly 2000 years ago. It was given new life in the 17th Century when Bernini was commissioned to sculpt 10 angels, each carrying an emblem of Jesus’ death and suffering. This VAST Photo was made by stitching 18 images together. Each of those are comprised of 2-3 blended exposures to capture details in both bright and dark areas. The result allows for large format fine art photographic prints of the Vatican to view in detail at a close distance.

I shot this during a family trip to Rome, in November 2023. I had this image in mind if an opportunity arose without interrupting the family flow of the trip. It happened one afternoon that ended earlier than expected for our sight-seeing. Less than half an hour before sunset, I could tell it was going to be a beautiful sunset and knew it was now or never. I rented an electric bike, rode like the wind, and arrived to set up my gear right as the colors were turning. It was very satisfying to execute my planned image between the weather, and by squeezing it into some down-time without major disruption to our family trip.

It’s a straightforward panoramic photo, simply showing the grandeur of the historic St. Angelo Bridge and St. Peter’s Dome with the vibrant sunset and reflection in the River Tiber. This high-resolution photo of St. Peter’s Basilica at Sunset can be printed on a much larger scale than a standard fine art photo of St. Peter’s Basilica found elsewhere. The breathtaking sculptures along St. Angelo’s Bridge can be viewed up close to see Bernini’s work. It isn’t always the case when weather and timing work out to make a pre-visualized image materialize. When it does, it’s pure magic.