Question: who is the designer of the piazza in front of st. peter's basilica
Answer: The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667 , under the direction of Pope Alexander VII , as an appropriate forecourt , designed `` so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing , either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace '' ( Norwich 1975 p 175 ) .