On this private guided tour, you will meet your expert, English-speaking guide in front of the entrance to the Castel Sant’ Angelo, at the end of Bernini’s famous Bridge of Angels. The magnificent castle with the angel is one of Rome’s most recognizable buildings, and like the city itself has a multi-layered history.
Enjoy skip the line entrance tickets, and begin by exploring the life and mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian who reigned from 117-138 AD. Enter the Treasury Room deep inside the castle, where it is believed his ashes were originally placed, before the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in the 5th century.
Wander up the wide ramp that winds its way through the castle, and visit the frescoed Papal Apartments. Walking in their footsteps, hear about the lives of the popes and cardinals who lived here, like the Borgia, and those who sought refuge in times of crisis like Clement VII in 1527 during the Sack of Rome.
Stand in the haunting torture chambers and the inner courtyard, the site of innumerable executions, and hear about the less fortunate visitors to the castle: those who were held prisoner and put to death, like the heretic academic Giordano Bruno and the magician Cagliostro.
You will see the famous Passeto Secreto, a passageway that connects the castle with the Vatican, that inspired Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, and the courtyard that inspired Puccini’s opera Tosca.
Finally, you will emerge triumphant onto the Belvedere Terrace. Standing on the castle ramparts beneath the enormous bronze statue of Archangel Michael, enjoy spectacular panoramic views of Rome’s epic skyline.