Castel Sant'Angelo

the Castel Sant'Angelo has fascinated me since we first arrived here. in a place stuffed to the gills with churches and sculptures and fountains, it's the only genuine castle within the city limits. it sits on the banks of the Tiber, watching the ebb and flow of humanity. and the castle itself has transformed over the centuries, from its original purpose as Hadrian's mausoleum, to a fortress modified and reinforced by various popes (including Pope Clement VII, who sheltered inside during the Sack of Rome in 1527). last week, we finally had the chance to explore it. 

the original cylindrical building was constructed between 134 and 139 A.D. the Emperor Hadrian's ashes were placed here, along with those of his wife and son. however, to begin our tour, we jumped ahead in time to the medieval period when the castle had been transformed into a military stronghold. we first climbed a set of steps inside the Bastion of San Marco, built in the fifteenth century. the castle has four towers -- after visiting three of them, Nick cleverly realized that they are named after the Four Evangelists. 

from here, you can see the entrance to the Passetto di Borgo, the 2,600-foot-long secret passageway that connects the Castel to Vatican City. Pope Nicholas III built this in 1277, and just over two hundred years later, Pope Alexander VI used it to escape Charles VIII's invading armies in 1494. just thirty years later, during the Sack of Rome in 1527, Pope Clement VII fled St. Peter's and was able to take refuge here. you can only visit the Passetto with a special guided tour, but I walk under one of its arches every time I go to the grocery store, which boggles the mind a little. 

lucky tour group, about to walk through the entrance to the Passetto

the Passetto runs from Vatican City (beyond the frame, on the left side) to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the right

the walls of the Passetto seen from outside the castel

we then walked around the Marcia Ronda, the walkway used by the guards to patrol around the castle. there's something about walking in their footsteps that just ignites the imagination. 

mean mugging

of course Cece Marie wanted in on the action

from the Bastion of San Luca, we could look up to see all the layers of construction that make up the Castel today: the cylinder of the original mausoleum, the papal fortress, and finally, the walls of the papal residence. 

we continued along the perimeter towards the Bastion of San Giovanni, from which vantage point I had the very bizarre experience of a watching a Segway tour go past. 

Hadrian must be rolling in his grave over the fact that the human race has come to this

we completed our circuit around the walkway with a much more picturesque view over the Ponte Sant'Angelo (more about this beautiful bridge later). 

I spy ... the dome of St. Peter's

looking down from the walkway, you can see the moat between the original mausoleum and the tower,

built by Pope Boniface IX in the late 1300s

we then entered the passageway Pope Boniface IX built to access the interior of Hadrian's cylinder. first we looked into a re-creation of a sixteenth century guardroom. 

next, we climbed the stairs to reach a bridge built in 1825 to cross the Room of Urns, which is the very place where Hadrian's ashes, and those of his family, were laid to rest. 

the walls of this room used to be covered in marble. the funerary urns were placed in large niches on the walls to either side. this marble plaque still remains, engraved with verses from a poem Hadrian penned himself: 

Animula vagula blandula

hospes comesque corporis

quae nunc abibis in loca

pallidula, rigid, nudula,

nec ut soles Dabis iocos

Little lost and gentle soul,

companion and guest of the body,

get ready now to go down into

colourless, arduous and bare places,

where you will no longer have the

usual entertainment

we walked out of the Room of Urns and emerged in the Angel Courtyard, which belonged to the papal apartments on the left. this statue of St. Michael the Archangel was sculpted in 1544 and originally stood on the highest terrace of the castle. 

we then climbed the stairs to the Giretto Scoperto, the walkway built by Pope Alexander VII Chigi, for some of the most spectacular views of the Eternal City. 

the inner part of the cylinder at this level was transformed into a showcase for military memorabilia when the castle officially became a national museum in 1925. this includes uniforms from the Risorgimento (the Italian unification movement) as well as suits of armor from the middle ages.

quite the helmet -- my neck hurts just looking at it

a peek into the Angel Courtyard

one of my favourite parts of the entire castle is this loggia, built by Pope Paul III in 1543 (who was born Alessandro Farnese). this is the same pope who commissioned Michelangelo's Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. the walls are decorated with episodes of Hadrian's life. 

rummaging for snacks while I feast my eyes on art

the ceiling

the loggia affords an impressive entrance into the two apartments that Pope Paul III had built in the 1540s. the first room here is the library, so named because it provided access to the papal archives. the vault of this room was designed in 1545 and shows ancient Roman stories with several emblems of the Farnese family (the lily and the woman with the unicorn). 

the library

  

papal crest over the door to the room that once housed the papal archives

the Tesoro (Treasure Room) by some accounts was Hadrian's actual burial chamber. his porphyry sarcophagus remains here. Paul III had the walnut cabinets installed to house the Papal Archives as well as the Secret Archive, and in 1585, Pope Sixtus V installed the huge lockbox (with six unique locks) to safeguard an emergency supply of cash as well as other valuables. 

 adjoining the library is the Sala dell'Adrianeo, with beautiful artwork as well as a frieze depicting Hadrian's mausoleum as well as other ancient Roman monuments. 

Madonna and Child with Saints, by Luco Signorelli

oh, and then there's this little window that I just happened to glance through. 

a room with a view, indeed

the Sala dei Festoni adjoins this room and originally had a gold and silver-painted wooden ceiling. unfortunately, the ceiling was destroyed when a fire broke out after a fireworks display on the top of the castle (apparently a common spectacle during parties). 

we next went back to the Treasure Room and climbed the spiral staircase leading up from it to reach the Sala Rotunda. this room was actually created in the Middle Ages, when a floor was laid halfway up the incredibly high ceiling of the Treasure Room to divide it into two rooms. this room was the site of the first chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. the current statue of the Archangel Michael standing atop the castle was created by Peter Anton Van Verschaffelt and the original metal frame supporting the statue was moved here, to the Sala Rotunda, during renovations in the 1980s.

the nameplate on this bust was indecipherable and my googling has been fruitless... I have no idea who this is!

next, we entered the Room of Columns, which was built in the eighteenth century to house the growing collection of the Papal Archives. 

this view... it just gets me every time

finally, we climbed to the very top of the spiral staircase to emerge into the blinding light on the Angel Terrace. this was where "fireworks of joyfulness" were set off for special occasions. it also played an important role in the ending of Puccini's opera, Tosca. it was from this terrace that the protagonist, Flora Tosca, leapt to her death. but on this gloriously sunny morning, our thoughts were far happier as we took in the expansive views. (in the interest of honest reporting, I should say that Greta was shrieking that the sun was too bright and whining for us to go back inside.)

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...

neither of the girls wanted in on this photo op

reluctantly, we started down the staircase for the exit, amazed at everything we had just seen. but ... spoiler alert! there's far more to see on the way down! I must have audibly gasped when we entered the Paolina Room, especially since I thought our tour was essentially over. Pope Paul III entertained guests in this room. the vault contains Paul III's coat of arms as well as scenes from the life of Alexander the Great (alluding to the pope's given name, Alessandro Farnese). the walls are decorated with depictions of the cardinal virtues as well as St. Paul, St. Michael the Archangel, and Hadrian. 

entering the Paolina Room

St. Michael the Archangel

Alexander the Great

the floor is inlaid with the papal crest

these baboons are memorialized for posterity here -- they were a gift to the pope from foreign ambassadors

the Perseus Chamber is a private room in Paul III's apartment, his studio, decorated with beautiful artwork including another reference to the Farnese family, the unicorn. 

Pope Paul III's bedroom is known as the Cupid and Psyche room, as the frieze depicts the mythological tale of Cupid who marries Psyche, on the condition that she will never try to look him in the face to discover his identity. of course, she does so, and then must submit to several tests as a consequence. this story was chosen because Psyche was commonly understood to represent the human soul, which also must undergo trials on the road to salvation. one of my favourite works by C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces, explores this myth beautifully, and now I want to re-read it!

details of the frieze

Cecilia started kicking her legs in the carrier just as I snapped this ... apologies for the blur!

quite the ceiling

my kingdom for this window seat

we then walked out into the loggia of Pope Julius II of Rovere, built at the beginning of the sixteenth century. from here, the pope would bless the crowds of pilgrims as they continued across the Ponte Sant'Angelo (bridge) on their journey to St. Peter's. the bridge itself was built by Hadrian to connect his mausoleum with the main city. during the Year of Jubilee in 1450, sadly the weight of all the pedestrians broke part of the bridge and 172 people drowned. the bridge was repaired, and in the late 1600s, Bernini along with some of his pupils sculpted the ten Angels that guard the bridge. 

the loggia leads to the Courtyard of Alexander VI, whose crest appears on the side of the well (which drew from a large ancient Roman cistern). Pope Leo X Medici held theatrical performances in this courtyard. from here, we could also peer into the old prisons (which are only accessible via guided tour). 

the next interior rooms hold an impressive collection of armor and military accoutrements. this is the Apollo Room, built by Pope Nicholas V in the fifteenth century. 

this round shield and the intricately decorated coat of arms below both belonged to Cosimo I de' Medici

Greta liked this helmet for a horse

we then walked through the Room of Justice, which initially was the nucleus of Hadrian's mausoleum. in medieval times, it became the room where trials were held. one famous trial involved Beatrice Cenci, a young noblewoman who was found guilty of murdering her father, Count Francesco Cenci, and who was therefore executed on September 11, 1599, at the age of twenty-two. according to legend, her father was physically and sexually abusive to his wife and daughters. Beatrice, her stepmother, and her brothers killed the count and then threw him off a balcony to make it look like an accident. the four Cencis involved in the plot were tried and sentenced to death, to the outrage of the people who knew what kind of man the count had been. legend has it that every year, on the eve of September 11, the ghost of Beatrice returns to the Ponte Sant'Angelo, carrying her severed head. 

Beatrice Cenci

finally, we walked down the ramp that encircles the mausoleum, retracing the steps taken by Hadrian's funeral procession, to arrive at the Atrium, the entrance to the mausoleum. this room was originally covered in marble slabs and also held a colossal statue of Hadrian himself. only the head survives, but it has been relocated to the Vatican Museums. 

finally, we stepped through the massive doorway and outside the castle walls. at some point, we would love to go back for the guided tour of the remainder of the castle, including the Passetto di Borgo of course. if you only have a few days in Rome, the Castel Sant'Angelo will be eclipsed by other must-see sights, but if you are lucky enough to have an extended visit, it's an incredibly well-preserved journey back in time.