St. Peter's has the largest
interior of any Christian
church in the world.

More than 60,000 people
can assemble in here.

Dana at the Holy Door, which is sealed shut from the inside and only opened during Jubilee Years.

Of all his sculptures, "La Pieta" is the only one Michelangelo ever signed.

He carved his name on the
sash across Mary's chest...

...in response to gossip that,
at age 25, he was far too young
to have wrought such
a perfect sculpture.

the body of Pope John XXIII,
who died in 1963

the monument to Queen
Christina of Sweden

Directly under the cupola
is the baldacchino,
standing 30 meters tall.

This dome of St. Peter's remains the tallest point of any building in Rome.

 The baldacchino is made of 927 tons of dark bronze removed from the Pantheon's roof in 1633.

This monumental canopy
shelters the papal altar and
the holy relics of St. Peter.

view of the nave from near the basilica's entrance, looking
west at the baldacchino

A massive nativity scene was
erected for the holiday season off
to the left inside the basilica.

There has been a basilica on
this site named for St. Peter
for almost 1,700 years.

Throughout the building
are many individual
altars and monuments.

Dana gets her Catholic on.

4:45 pm

Dana asks the Swiss Guards outside what time tomorrow's Christmas Eve activities start.

Bells near the top of the basilica ring out 17 times to mark the top of the hour.

Statues line the roof's
edge on Paul VI Hall.

At center is the balcony
where the Pope appears
to bless the crowds.

A survivor of Caligula's circus, the obelisk was relocated here in 1586.

10:26 pm: Dana digs into pork-stuffed ravioli at Ditirambo.

My first course: pasta strips
with small clams and broccoli.

This highly rated restaurant is
located in the Campo de Fiori.

My main course: "cinghialetto
al forno con patate."

Dana loved her “rosemary veal bites with chicory of bacon rolls and basil potatoes.”

I fell in love with Ditirambo in
Nov '06 and made it a mission to
bring Dana here while in Rome.

This chalkboard lists the
chef's specials for tonight.

12:42 am: The breakfast room
of the Hotel Turner.

stairs off the lobby leading to restrooms and elsewhere

Clearly the hotel was largely empty during Christmas week.