The word's most famous balcony scenes

No balcony in the world has borne more Popes than the Vatican’s Loggia delle Benedizioni. Every new Pope since the 17th century has appeared before the public on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica. The Pope also gives his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from here at Christmas and Easter, giving the balcony its name, which translates as “Loggia of the Blessings.”

 

Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog may be The Muppet Show’s best-known characters, but don’t forget Statler and Waldorf, the two curmudgeonly old men who call out acerbically humorous remarks from the puppet world’s most famous balcony.

 

The balcony of the Ambassador Hotel in New York sprang to prominence when Marilyn Monroe, 28, was photographed there. Keen to take her career to new heights, the style icon wanted the world to see that there was more to her than the “dumb blonde” of her earlier movies.

 

The cast-iron balconies of New Orleans were nearly lost for good in the early 20th century. Plans to beautify the city included the removal of the verandas, which had mostly been made by black craftsmen. Fortunately, this idea didn’t find favour with everyone, and many of the balconies were allowed to stay. They remain an intrinsic part of the city’s image.

 

If you want to admire the royal box of Milan’s La Scala from the inside, you will either need to book a guided tour of the famous opera house or hope for an invitation from the Italian President. The opulent theatre balcony is reserved for leading lights from the world of politics and foreign dignitaries.

 

One of the most romantic balconies is actually a sarcophagus! In the early 20th century, the people of Verona, Italy, were so tired of telling the flocks of tourists that the balcony in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet didn’t exist that they cobbled one together from an old coffin.

 

A tender kiss that captured the public’s imagination. Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot in 2011. Like William’s parents Prince Charles and Lady Di before them, the newlyweds appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding service.