Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is beautiful, inside and out

Rome is famous for its churches, and tourists from across the world come to admire the beauty and greatness of St. Peter's Basilica. But my advice is: Don't miss the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, which is the second largest Basilica of Rome.

Its impressive Byzantine structure has 5 naves and 80 monolithic granite columns; the central nave is 29.7 metres long and 30 metres high. Once inside you will feel really, really small compared to the church – everything around you seems huge, which creates a unique perspective. The entrance to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls is free every day of the week.

The immensity of the central nave of the Basilica.

Perspective of the external colonnade of the Basilica.

The façade above the colonnade is decorated with mosaics based on designs by Filippo Agricola and Nicola Consoni, and made in Vatican workshops between 1854 and 1874.