If you’re visiting Italys capital, you shouldn’t leave your Appartement Vacances a Rome without visiting the Castel SantAngelo. What has it got that millions of visitors every year never fail to dump a tear for its remarkable beauty? This place should be on top of your list when you’re visiting Italy since history is so thick with puzzle as well as glamour. Why puzzle? Did you know that the Castel SantAngelo was built as a mausoleum before it changed into a fortress? It changed into a fortress and a prison cell, employed by popes during the 14th Century.
The building was originally built by the Emperor Hadrian between 123 and 139AD to serve as his cenotaph. Like the earlier cenotaph of Augustus, the cylindrical tomb would’ve been crowned with statues : a grand reminder of the emperor and his dynasty. Within you can still walk up the wide spiral passage designed for the ascent of the funeral cortege.
A century and a half later , the crypt was incorporated into the Aurelian Wall, and from then on the defensive significance of the monument saw it endure many army modifications.
After spending the Middle Ages passing thru the hands of various warring Roman families, the fortress was acquired by the papacy in 1377. Having got their hands on this imposing edifice in such a strategic location, the popes had zero intention of letting go. They got to work to make the building into a technically-advanced and impregnable citadel to which they could retreat during times of unrest. A covered passage ( the Passetto del Borgo ) still connects Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican : this was the popes ‘ emergency escape route. Unready for discomfort even under siege, the pontiffs also developed the internal part of the fortress, fashioning chic papal flats – and a strong room with a giant safe for the Vatican’s mountain of loot.
Nowadays visitors can explore the legacy of all three uses of the monument : the funeral passage of Hadrian, the defensive battlements and the beautifully-frescoed interiors. The edifice is confusingly warren-like – actually a legal case exposed how the curator had appropriated some rooms within the monument to use as a non-public loft, apparently unnoticed.
In the summertime there are occasionally special evening events held here, which have in the past included medieval warfare displays and folk music recitals, as well as a bar on the highest terrace.
Castel Sant’Angelo is found on the banks of the Tiber in the guts of Rome. It’s near to the Vatican, and the same bus services serve both destinations ( including the forty express from Stazione Termini ). The nearest Metro station is Lepanto ( Linea A ). Opening hours are 9am-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday. There is an entrance charge. You can find plenty of Appartement à Rome close to the Castel.
