A brilliant Basilica! We took an easy ride on Bus 23 from the corner of our hotel (Ponte Sisto) to St. Peter's on a Sunday morning while in Rome last month. Wondrous at first sight, we wandered the square and as much of the Basilica as possible. As it happened, and quite with fortune, the Pope was saying mass. I has seen the Pieta when it traveled to New York years ago, still a breathtaking sight. We waited for his Blessing from his window, the primary reason for going on Sunday. The Grottos weren't open, but we returned on Tuesday for the awesome Scavi tour and visited them prior, as well as the areas of the Basilica closed during the Mass. If you have an opportunity to book the limited underground Scavi tour, these underground ruins are a fascinating look into the very distant past. All a Divine experience. The crowd was quite manageable as well as access through security. September, I believe, is a perfect month for Rome.
One negative. Vendors assaulting visitors with their wares and tours. Quite annoying, and inappropriate to my mind. A few gypsies roamed outside the square, the only ones we saw while in the city, but they didn't actually approach, just wandered with their hands out. read more