Castel Sant'Angelo.
Standing on the right bank of the Tiber near the Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo takes its name from the Archangel Saint Michael, who is said to have appeared to Pope Gregory I during a procession. The archangel is said to have sheathed his sword, signalling the end of the plague then raging in the city. Ever since, the statue at the summit has commemorated the event. A visit to the castle is a real pleasure that will delight adults and children alike. The views over the city and the interest of the visit make it a must-see.
Getting there: Ottaviano – San Pietro or Lepanto metro station, or by bus on lines 23, 34, 40, 982, etc.
Address: Lungotevere Castello, 50
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:30 (last entry at 18:30). Closed on Mondays, 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.
Ticket prices: €12.00 full price, reduced to €2.00 for young European Union citizens aged 18 to 25, and free for under-18s. The price may change during temporary exhibitions.
Website: http://castelsantangelo.beniculturali.it/
This enormous tumulus was built in 135 by the emperor Hadrian to serve as his mausoleum. It was then surmounted by a statue of the emperor and a quadriga. It served as a mausoleum for the emperors until Septimius Severus in 211. It later took on an important military role. Castel Sant'Angelo became an advanced bastion of the Aurelian Walls. In the Middle Ages it became the fortress protecting the Vatican, in addition to its role as a prison.
Castel Sant'Angelo underwent many military transformations (loopholes, access ramp, and so on) as well as alterations for papal residences.
It notably served as a refuge for Pope Clement VII during the siege and the terrible Sack of Rome by Emperor Charles V in 1527.
Afterwards Castel Sant'Angelo was transformed into a palace by Pope Paul III.
Access to Castel Sant'Angelo is by a ramp, paved with marble and mosaics in antiquity, which once led into the mausoleum and opens onto the courtyard of honour. You can visit the former papal apartments, some covered with frescoes (Apollo Room) or richly decorated (Pauline Room, and others).
The view of the city from the rampart walk is magnificent.
Complete your visit with the very fine Ponte Sant'Angelo, lined with 10 statues of angels bearing the instruments of Christ's Passion, as well as the statues of St Peter and St Paul. They were created by Bernini's school.
The statues of the angel with the inscription of the cross and that of the crown of thorns, made by Bernini himself, were taken by Pope Clement IX, who found them so beautiful that he refused to leave them to deteriorate outdoors. They are now in the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, with copies remaining on the bridge.
