Cortile del Belvedere

The Cortile del Belvedere, or Belvedere Courtyard, is a large terraced courtyard inside the Vatican that was designed in the early 16th century by Donato Bramante. It was conceived to connect the Vatican Palace with the Villa Belvedere and created a monumental urban courtyard.

Today the courtyard forms part of the Vatican Museums complex and lies along the museums’ visitor route. It incorporates open terraces and linking stairs that historically allowed visual and physical connection between papal residences and gardens.

The courtyard was built during the Renaissance as part of Pope Julius II’s program of papal buildings and has been adapted over centuries as the Vatican collections expanded. Many of the surrounding museum spaces and gardens grew from this original architectural composition.

Located within Vatican City, the Belvedere Courtyard sits between the Apostolic Palace and the upper Villa Belvedere area and is accessed as part of the Vatican Museums visit.

• Designer and date: Designed by Donato Bramante in the early 16th century as a terraced link between the Vatican Palace and the Villa Belvedere and later incorporated into the Vatican Museums route.

What to See #

• Cortile della Pigna: Contains the large bronze Pigna sculpture and courtyard space that link to the internal route of the Vatican Museums; the Pigna itself is an ancient Roman bronze pine-cone sculpture.