Cortile della Pigna

The Cortile della Pigna takes its name from a bronze pine cone nearly four metres high, made in Rome in the first or second century and moved here in 1608, standing in a niche at the courtyard's end between two bronze peacocks that are copies of ones from Hadrian's mausoleum. In the middle of the courtyard sits Arnaldo Pomodoro's cracked bronze sphere, installed in 1990.

Background

The courtyard is the upper section of the Cortile del Belvedere, a High Renaissance work designed by Donato Bramante from 1505 onward. His plan joined the Vatican Palace to the Villa Belvedere through terraces linked by stairs, enclosed by narrow wings. The villa itself was begun by Innocent VIII in 1484. Bramante died in 1514 with the court unfinished, and Pirro Ligorio completed it for Pius IV in 1562-65. In 1585-90 Sixtus V built a wing of the Vatican Library across the former middle terrace, which split the space into two courtyards. The upper court was laid out with patterned parterres, and its four grassed sections still follow the pattern seen in 16th-century engravings.

Source: Wikipedia, "Cortile del Belvedere"

What's there

• The bronze pine cone - the Roman fountain piece nearly four metres high.
• The peacocks - the bronzes flanking the niche.
• Pomodoro's sphere - the cracked bronze globe in the courtyard centre.
• The courtyard - the open space between the museum wings.

When to go

November to March is the quietest window. It is one of the few open-air stops on the route. Rain makes it a place to hurry through.

Things to know

It is a passing point on the museum route rather than a destination. There is little shade and it is hot in summer. Groups gather here for briefings, which makes it loud.

Nearby

The Gallery of Maps is south, and the Gregorian Egyptian Museum is west.

Key facts