February 12, 2010. It's been 24 years since the last time a snow flake fell on St. Peter's Square. The last time the Vatican saw snow was on January 6, 1986.



Snow fell as the pope worked in his study and peaked through his window to get a glimpse of the white wonderland below.

The snow started to fall around 8 a.m. Behind a white backdrop, tourists scattered around St. Peter's Square to capture rare images of the basilica, which are usually only seen on post cards.

In other parts of the city, there were reports the Colosseum and the Roman Forum shut down due to the snow.

MC