The Vatican expands visitor experience at St. Peter’s Basilica to mark 400th anniversary

VATICAN CITY — Fancy a pizza with a view?

The Vatican is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the inauguration of St. Peter’s Basilica with a host of visitor-friendly initiatives, including expanding access to the spectacular terrace and snack bar in the shadow of Michelangelo’s great dome.

The Vatican on Monday outlined its plans to make better use of St. Peter’s Basilica and better distribute the millions of people who pass through it every year, while protecting its artistic treasures.

Initiatives include a new online reservation system to reduce the often hours-long wait to enter the basilica, and simultaneous translations for Masses in as many as 60 languages. In addition, a new permanent exhibition on the history of the basilica will be opened on the terrace, in addition to an extensive snack bar for hungry pilgrims.

Recent reports in the Italian media about a bistro on the basilica’s terrace raised many eyebrows, amid questions about whether such a holy place – the basilica houses the tomb of St Peter – should serve pizzas to tourists on its roof.

The existing snack bar will almost double in size.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti stressed on Monday that it is perfectly acceptable to offer a sandwich or drink in addition to the toilets to visitors to the basilica, especially those who have made an effort to visit the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, which was designed by Michelangelo.

Honoring the Renaissance master is a related initiative: a new font available in Microsoft Office, titled “Michelangelus,” is styled with his actual handwriting.

The basilica initiatives, sponsored by Italian energy giant ENI, are being rolled out to commemorate Pope Urban VIII’s 1626 dedication of St. Peter’s Basilica, which replaced an earlier basilica.

___

Associated Press religion reporting is supported by the AP’s partnership with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.