- Address: Piazza S. Pietro, 00120
- Sightseeing: The Apostolic Palace, the sculpture "The Earth Globe"
The yard of pine cones is a popular attraction of the Vatican with a special atmosphere. The Apostolic and Belvedere palaces, located on a hill, connect a vast garden space between them, which ends with a building attached to the villa with a central niche. This complex also received the mentioned name or otherwise - the Court of Pinnia (English Court of the Pigna, local Cortile della Pigna).
Sculptural compositions and landscape
The yard got its name because the site is decorated with a 4-meter gilded bronze cone (pine). It was cast in the І-ІІ century. AD Publish Cincius Salvia, it is listed on its basis. Pine cone is an ancient symbol of the source of life in many cultures, and also symbolically represents the pineal gland, which was revered as the "third eye" and the organ responsible for the connection of the human and the divine (spiritual) origin. Until 1608 the cone was located on the Champ de Mars, and then was moved to the Vatican .
The bottom of the cone is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Roman athletes. A cone is crowned by an antique fountain. Element, which is conceived as emitting water, is a bas-relief of the head, on both sides the fountain is bordered by bronze peacocks. There are sculptures of lions.
The landscape design of the courtyard was created by the leading architect of the Renaissance, Donato Bramante. Here there are 4 lawns, which are stretched along the palace walls opposite each other. They are located around the golden ball , which has a diameter of 4 m. This is a significant and famous element of the Court of pine cones, which appeared in the Vatican already in our time. Sculpture Vatican bought as a masterpiece of modern art under Pope John Paul II. The "Golden Ball" (also called "The Globe" and "Sphere in the Sphere") is the youngest installation in the Vatican, which is full of ancient compositions and sculptures.
If the pine cone symbolizes life as such, then "Sphere in the sphere" symbolizes the modern life of man and has a profound meaning. The author of the Golden Ball is Arnaldo Pomodoro. The sculptor created his balloon in 1990. The idea of composition is very relevant: the author intended to express artistically all the harm that humanity is doing to the environment.
The ball is multi-layered. The upper layer symbolizes the universe, it has fractures, "scars" - traces of human activity. Thanks to them inside the big ball, a small ball that symbolizes our planet can be clearly seen. On the surface it is patterned. Here live people who by their actions and thoughts destroy the universe. The surface of the upper sphere is mirror, so the author expressed the idea of a mirror image of the activity of each person on the fate of the planet and the universe. The ball can be untwisted, it will rotate around its axis. The outer and inner balls are connected by gears to convey the entire complexity of the relationship between our planet and the cosmos.
The courtyard of Pinnia is considered a charming place, where it is convenient to admire the architecture of the Renaissance from a good perspective among interesting compositions. Here there are shops, and also there is a cafe where tourists can have a bite in the majestic and enchanting situation, having thought about the seen beauties imbued with spirit of ancient time and spirituality. This is actual, since there are not many open places in the Vatican, most tourist attractions are inspected quickly during the excursion, and here you have the opportunity to comprehend what you saw.
Location and cost of visit
By metro A line, you need to get to Ottavio station. Through St. Peter's Square go to the main entrance to the Vatican Museums. The entrance fee is 15 euros. The yard of a pine cone can be seen by all tourists when visiting the Vatican .