Lungotevere Castello, 1

The splendid fortress of Castel Sant'Angelo was originally built as a mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian in 139 CE. In the 10th Century CE it was transformed into a castle, then, 500 years later, into the elegant residence of Pope Alexander VI Borgia. Michelangelo designed the marvelous main court for Pope Leo X and many of the rooms inside are decorated with frescoes of great beauty. It is also been used to house prisoners, including the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. The terrace offers a fine view of the river Tiber and opera lovers will know that this was where the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca (1900) took place. The building is now a museum with a fine collection of suits of armor.

The Sant’Angelo Castle, one of Rome’s less touristed stops, once guarded the entrance to the Vatican and now contains a collection of antique arms and armor. You can visit this treasure or opt to leave the cacophony of Rome behind for an afternoon spent exploring Lazio’s wine region, with stops at Castel Gandolfo and Ariccia.

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The Castel Sant'Angelo is located close to Vatican, has a very interesting history and from its top you can get a wonderful view of the Vatican and other parts of Rome.

The Castel was built in the second century by the Emperor Hadrian. It was intended to be used as a mausoleum for the Emperor and his successions. The bridge across the river Tiber was built to connect the city of Rome to the mausoleum. However, when the attacks by barbarians on Rome started to be intensive and frequent, Romans built high walls around the city which passed through the mausoleum and made it a military fortress. In the 14th century the popes converted the structure into the castle and connected it to the St. Peter's Basilica by a covered corridor. Later the Castle served as a papal residence as well as a prison (Giordano Bruno was imprisoned there).

The name of the Castle holds back to the 6th century when, according to the legend, the Archangel Michael appeared atop the mausoleum and informed about the end of the plague of 590.