about noon
You 'll see the princes in the procession . '' -LRB- II -RRB- An hour later they took their places at the central window of the long sala on the third floor , looking out immediately upon the narrow street , which , opposite , fell back into a tiny square , and further up to the right , upon the enormous piazza of St. Peter 's and the basilica itself behind . It was a real Roman day -- not yet at its full heat , but intensely clear and bright ; and Monsignor congratulated himself on having elected to remain as a spectator . The return journey from the Lateran about noon would be something of an ordeal . The street and the piazza presented an astonishingly brilliant appearance . Beneath , the roadway was now one sheet of greenery -- box , myrtle , and bay . The houses opposite , as well as within the little square , of which every window was packed with heads , were almost completely hidden under the tapestries , the carpets , the banners .