Saint Peter's Square began life as Nero's circus, where tradition claims Peter was martyred at the foot of what became Caligula's Egyptian obelisk. The obelisk, brought from Egypt in 37 AD, is the only one in Rome never to have toppled. It stood watching while Bernini transformed the space between 1656 and 1667 into perhaps the most theatrical public square ever built.

Bernini's genius lies in the embrace. His four-deep colonnade of 284 Doric columns forms two sweeping arms meant to welcome the world into the Church's fold. Stand on either marble disc marking the ellipse's foci, and the optical trick reveals itself: four rows of columns snap into one. Above, 140 saints by Bernini's students keep watch, and below, twin fountains frame the view, though only Maderno's dates to 1613. Bernini added the matching partner 64 years later to perfect the symmetry he craved.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours use the square to reveal how the circus became the church, tracing Peter's story from execution site to Christianity's ceremonial heart while explaining how Bernini's Baroque stagecraft turned architecture into spiritual theatre.