The centuries-old history of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome starts in October 12th, 1506, when Pope Julius the 2nd put the first brick of the new church on building above the tomb of the first of the Apostles, Peter.

To celebrate the anniversary of the first half millennium, the Vatican organizes an exhibit all dedicated to the story of the building, from the original project by Bramante to the alterations that all the main architects of that century made on it, up to arrive to the gigantic Baroque Basilica we see nowadays; it’s possible to see the models of the several projects (pretty beautiful is the wooden model of the dome by Michelangelo and the further xhanges made by the real builder, Della Porta) made by architects like Bramante, Antonio da Sangallo, Michelangelo, Maderno, as well as artworks inspired by the mortal life of Peter, with paintings by Raphael (the wonderful portrait of Pope Julius the 2nd), Titian and the unforgettable Crucifixion by Caravaggio.

Together with the exhibit, it’s also possible to see (but only reserving the entrance at least 20 days before) the recently opened necropolis on Via Triumphalis: in 2003, during the works for a new parking inside Vatican City, workers found part of a vast cemetery form 1st to 3rd century AD, on the sides of a Roman street, the Via Thriumpalia, so called because it was the normal entrance for the triumphal parade of the winning generals: 150 tombs of several kinds, from the simple holes in the ground to the more elaborate family tombs of the middle-class families of the early Imperial age.

This cemetery likely is part of the same one we can see underneath the Basilica, but I have to tell you, it is really important to reserve your entrance at least 20 days before… The opening has been a long-awaited one…