The Castel Sant'Angelo is a large cylindrical building commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. Built around 123AD along the shore of the Tiber River, near the Vatican, the building spent over a thousand years as either a fortress or a castle, and is now a museum.
Much of the tomb contents and decoration has been lost since the building's conversion into a military fortress in 401. In the 14th century, the popes converted the structure into a castle. It is linked to St Peter's by a long passageway.
The Papal state also used Sant'Angelo as a prison; Giordano Bruno, for example, was imprisoned there for six years. Its courtyards were the scene of executions by decapitation and the heads of the condemned were then hung for days along the bridge as a terrible warning.
The castle was Decommissioned in 1901 and in 1925 became the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo (National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo).
Opening Hours
Tues - Sun. 9am - 7pm
Price
7 Euro (Extra for special events & Exhibits)
Address
Lungotevere Castello, 50
00186-Rome
How to Get There
Several buses including BUS 62 & 40
Metro A red Line: Both Ottaviano & Lepanto are about 10 - 15 minute walk away.
External Links
Official Site (In Italian)
 | | View of Ponte Sant'Angelo |
 | Marble Statue of one of the
10 angels on Ponte Sant'Angelo |
 | | View from Castel Sant'Angelo |
 | View of St Peter's Basilica
from Castel Sant'Angelo |
|
