Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Castel Sant'Angelo
MUSEUM
( 06 681 91 11; Lungotevere Castello 50; adult/reduced €8.50/6; 9am-7.30pm Tue-Sun, last admis-
sion 6.30pm ; Piazza Pia)
With its chunky round keep, this castle is an instantly recognis-
able landmark. Built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian, it was converted into a pap-
al fortress in the 6th century and named after an angelic vision that Pope Gregory the Great
had in 590.
Thanks to a secret 13th-century passageway to the Vatican palaces (the Passetto di
Borgo), it provided sanctuary to many popes in times of danger. Most famously, Pope Cle-
mente VI holed up here during the 1527 sack of Rome. Nowadays, it houses an eclectic
collection of paintings, sculpture, military memorabilia and medieval firearms.
