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For some strange reason Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome was never top of my list to visit. With Rome dominated by so many wonderfully historic and grand monuments such as the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum and so on, it never stood out to me as a must see, yet when I decided to live in Rome my feeling changed as I then felt the need to discover everything that Rome was famous for and made up of and Castel Sant’Angelo fitted into this mould. I am glad I came to my senses as its worth the visit even just for the castle roof top view.
Castel Sant’Angelo means ‘Castle of the Holy Angel’ and was built back between 135-139 AD for a Roman Emperor ‘Hadrian’ and his family. In the later years at the beginning of the 14th Century it was converted into a castle and became a fortress for the Popes to reside, and at this stage a section of the castle was also used as a prison.
In 1494 when Rome was invaded by Charles VIII of France, the Passetto was built which is a secret tunnel leading from the the Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican City that Pope Alexander VI and Pope Clement VII used to pass through and escape to safety. This fascinated me, capturing my attention to continue exploring the history of the castle.
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 From the roof top of the castle you can see all the way to the Vatican, the castle resides on the right hand bank of the Tiber river and the views looking across the river are captivating with reflections from the trees and buildings on the side of the river. During the day if you look down from the roof top of the castle you will be able to see the crowds heading in the direction of the Vatican City and there are many market stands attracting tourists, some stand illegally selling fake Gucci and Prada handbags with their products sitting in the middle on top of white sheets, don’t be surprised if all of a sudden you hear a whistle and the sellers quickly wrap up their sheets with the bags inside to take off before your eyes, the police often express interest in creating a scene to capture them, honestly though if they really wanted to get them they could,. There are also other sellers who are legally there with local art, trinkets and cold drinks or cheap souvenirs from your visit to these wonderful monuments.
The most enjoyable part of visiting Castel Sant’Angelo for me is to climb to the top to see the lovely panoramic views over the roof-tops of Rome that stretch all the way to the Vatican City and across the pretty glistening Tiber river.
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Photos copyright of Melissa Martin
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