Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

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There is quite a bit to see in Rome but if you have a chance to see Castel Sant' Angelo, it is well worth the "look see". Great views of the city and you can have a "tour" of it but that probably isn't necessary. Save your money for tours of the Vatican and the Colosseum.

Admission is €8 for adults. April to September 9am-7pm, October to March 9am-2pm. Closed on public holidays.

Some tidbits about Castel Sant' Angelo:

Roman Emperor Hadrian built it as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle.

I couldn't find an official website so the link below is from wikipedia.

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From all fortified castles I have seen in Europe this is certainly the most extraordinary, if not extravagant, fortress I have visited.
It started with a mausoleum to Emperor Hadrian (117 - 138 AD) and contained also the funerary urns of his successors Antonius Pius, Marc-Aurelius, Commode and Septime Severus and Caracalla.
The mausoleum of Hadrian was probably similar to that of the emperor August of which a ruin subsists.
The mausoleum has a square base of 84 m side, about 15 m high, surmounted by a cylindrical part with a diameter of 64 m and 20 m high. The cylinder was decorated with travertine and bronze statues at the basement.
The upper part of this cylinder was probably finished as a garden around a small temple. On top the statue of the emperor on a quadriga as shown on the models (photo 2 & 3).
From the outside some blocks of peperino, a volcanic stone, of the mole which once supported the outer casing is all that remains visible. The rest is covered by the fortification works from the later periods.
The inner part subsisting from the mausoleum is the one by which the visit starts at the first level. The monumental entrance was only discovered in 1825, the visit starts with the Roman Atrium with its huge niche intended for a statue of Emperor Hadrian and the spectacular spiral ramp.
At the origin this ramp with travertine walls, 3 m wide, 6 m high, was making a full turn inside the cylinder of the mausoleum and was decorated with marble, mosaics and stuccos.
When in 271 AD the mausoleum of Hadrian was included in the fortification wall of Emperor Aurelian it lost its function and became the strongest fortress of Rome.

Open : Tuesday to Sunday 9 - 19.30 h. Closed on Monday.
Price (2011): ordinary 8 €; reduced 5,50 € for EU citizens 18 - 15 yr. Free for EU citizens less than 18 and more than 65 years old.

Photos allowed without tripod or flash.

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The mausoleum started its transformation to a fortress when it was included into the Aurelian wall and became a "castellum". In 537 when the Visigoths attacked Rome it proved its value. The defenders used the bronze statues as projectiles. Over the centuries the defensive role of the fortress grew in importance as it controlled the northern route to the city and got linked by the fortified area of the Borgo to the Vatican palaces. The prominent Roman families disputed its possession until the castle became a defensive place for the Pope.
The spiral ramp and the atrium were closed and a new entrance was opened with a drawbridge. A square wall called "Marcia Ronda" with bastions at the corners called after the four evangelists was constructed. A moat was created around the walls. Inside the cylindrical body a diametrical ramp was built which leads to the second level with the room of the urns, the silos and to the third level called "Giretto Coperto" or Covered Tower. The main courtyard at this third level is called "Cortille dell'Angelo" because here was found the statue of the archangel Michael who decorated the top of the castle until 1747.
Here is the entrance to the papal apartments. There is another courtyard "Cortille d'Alessandro VI" showing a replica (?) of a catapult.

Open : Tuesday to Sunday 9 - 19.30 h. Closed on Monday.
Price (2011): ordinary 8 €; reduced 5,50 € for EU citizens 18 - 15 yr. Free for EU citizens less than 18 and more than 65 years old.
Photos allowed without tripod or flash.

Reaching level 4 and 5, I felt much more impressed by the views on Rome than by the papal apartments or the small military museum. For sure the rooms are magnificent with the frescoes and of course the prisons and torture chamber are there to remember that the popes had also a secular authority.

What impressed me really were the views as well from the covered terraces as from the upper panoramic terrace under the statue of the angel. There is even a small café on one of the terraces.
What desolated me is that somebody felt clever to put an antenna just behind the bronze statue of the archangel Michael. I don't know if my compatriot Pieter Verschaffelt who made this statue is happy with that horrible antenna!?
Actually this Flemish sculptor lived in Rome from 1737 till 1752 where a created other works and was called Pietro Il Fiamingo. Later he worked in Mannheim.

But there are the views. From here you can really see that the Quirinal Palace is on a hill, and that the Vittoriano dominates all Rome. It's evident that Rome has hundred of churches with cupolas and very few bell towers. From here you can also distinguish how imposing is the dome of the Pantheon. To the right the most imposing dome of them all St Peters.

I can't understand how Tosca could throw herself from this terrace with such a wonderful view… ah, l'Amore!
Open (2011): Tuesday to Sunday 9 - 19.30 h. Closed on Monday.
Price: ordinary 8 €; reduced 5,50 € for EU citizens 18 - 15 yr. Free for EU citizens less than 18 and more than 65 years old.

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We didn't have time to take the tour inside while on our way to the Vatican. But we made a point to walk across the bridge and see all the statues. They are so majestic. Don't miss this opportunity, route your walk though the city so you can enjoy this bridge. Also great place to take a picture of the Vatican (Saint Peter's) from a distance.

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When you'll visit Rome in the summer, between the 29th June and the 15th August do not forget to take a chance and walk along the Passetto di Borgo, the corridor linking Vatican Palaces to Castel Sant'Angelo. Usually it's closed and re-open only for a few weeks during the summer.
Unfortunately, the guests are not able to walk the whole distance, but only the first 400m, but still it's unforgettable to walk at night the way Pope used to do it. While walking you have a great view on the Basilica St. Peter and surrounding streets.

An entrance ticket to Castel Sant'Angelo costs 10 E and + an extra ticket 2 E for being able to walk along the corridor.

It's worth the price because all the evening there are different shows and live performances for adults and children.

Please note that there is a restaurant on one of the terraces and two bars.

The building known as Castel Sant'Angelo has been many things throughout history. It was originally built in 139 A.D. as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian and his family. The ashes of later emperors were also placed here. It looked much different then, with a garden and many beautiful statues covering the top of the mound. In 401 A.D., however, it was turned into a military fortress and incorporated into the Aurelian walls. Just nine years later Rome was sacked by Alaric's Visigoths, and the statues were used as weapons and thrown down on the enemy. It was later used by many popes as a fortress. In the 14th century the passetto was built, which is a passageway that connects the castle to the Vatican, so that the pope could escape if the Vatican was beseiged. This is exactly what did happen during the infamous sack of Rome in 1527, and the castle became the refuge of Pope Clement VII. It was also used as a prison; Giordano Bruno was held here for six years before he was executed.

The present name of the building refers to the sculpture of the archangel Michael seen on top. In 590 A.D. Rome was struck by the plague. According to traditional belief, Pope Gregory the Great led a procession through the city asking God to end the plague, and when the procession reached the mausoleum (as it was then) the pope saw a vision of the angel sheathing his sword on top of the building. This signified that the plague was finished.

The castle is now open as a museum. In summer it is also open at night for special entertainment. A restaurant and bar are set up on the terrace above and live shows and performances take place. More information is available on the website.

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Emperor Hadrian built the Castel Sant’Angelo (pics 1-2) because he wanted a big impressive building as mausoleum. It was completed in 193AD many years after emperor’s death(138AD). At the beginning it was called Hadrianeum but Pope Gregory the Great had a vision in 590 (an angel with a sword over the mausoleum!) and they changed the name because it was supposed to a sign(the end of the plague of that era). Piet van Verschaffelt made the sculpture of Archangel Michael in 1753, which tops the castle.

It has been a fortress, for some years a prison but also Popes’ hiding place (they were using the passeto, a long corridon that was built to connect the castle with the Vatican). In our days the castel Sant’Angelo is a museum but most of the visitor go there for the nice view from the upper platform but we were already tired from the Vatican visit so we just took pictures of it, most of them from Ponte Sant Angelo(pic 4) which is located in front of the castle, a beautiful pedestrian bridge that was built in 134AD. It is full of statues(pic 3) showing Saints Peter and Paul but also 10 statues of angels that were added later by Bernini.

We enjoyed the view from the bridge (pic 5), some last romantic pictures of us and we were off back to the city centre

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 9.00-19.00 and the entrance fee is 5euro