The centre of the Catholic world and one of the largest church buildings ever constructed, built over the tomb of St. Peter on the site of Nero's circus. Michelangelo's dome (finished after his death in 1590) dominates the Rome skyline; the interior — gilded marble, Bernini's bronze baldachin, and mosaic copies of great paintings — is overwhelming in scale.
The dome climb offers Rome's best elevated view. The Vatican Museums next door house the Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo's ceiling, 1508–1512) — book weeks ahead in summer to skip the entrance queue.