Passetto di Borgo, the pope's secret Vatican City passage - Slate
www.slate.com/.../passetto_di_borgo_the_pope_s_secret_vatican_city_passage.html
Feb 3, 2015 - ... 2,600 feet from Vatican City to the Castel Sant'Angelo looks like a plain ... The labyrinthine storm tunnels beneath Melbourne are ruled by a ...The Passetto di Borgo, secret passageway of the popes - YouTube
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Jul 27, 2009 - Uploaded by ROME REPORTS in English
Castel SantAngelo. It was an escape route that connected the Vatican with Castel SantAngelo, which was a ...Castel Sant'Angelo: The Pope's personal castle along the Tiber River ...
www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/lazio/rome/sights/castel_santangelo.html
Castel Sant'Angelo, built atop Hadrian's tomb, is the Pope's private castle ... to the Vatican by a raised viaduct called the passetto, a tunnel once used by troops ...
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The Passetto di Borgo, or simply Passetto, is an elevated passage that links the Vatican City with the Castel Sant'Angelo. It is an approximately 800 metres (2,600 ft) long corridor, located in the rione of Borgo. It was erected in 1277 by Pope Nicholas III, but parts of the wall were built by Totila during the Gothic War. On two occasions it served as an escape route for Popes in danger.
Pope Alexander VI crossed it in 1494, when Charles VIII invaded the city and the pope's life was in peril.
Clement VII escaped to safety through this passage during the Sack of Rome in 1527, when troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, massacred almost the entire Swiss Guard on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passetto_di_Borgo
The Passetto played a key role in the Dan Brown novel Angels & Demons, through which the antagonist (an illuminatus) transported four abducted cardinals to the Castel Sant'Angelo. The protagonists Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra later used the Passetto as a shortcut to Vatican City.
New Secret Tour of Rome’s Castel Sant’ Angelo
Sure, you’ve been to Rome, the Vatican and even Castel Sant’Angelo, the home of Popes for centuries.
But you haven’t explored Castello Segreto – a secret part of Castel Sant’Angelo—and now’s your chance, but just until November 20th of this year.
Remember the movie Angels and Demons? Dan Brown’s protagonist Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, ran through this area. As you walk through the Passetto di Borgo, imagine the many pontiffs who have used this 800-meter tunnel that connects the castle with the Vatican. This “safe passage, “allowing popes to escape from the Vatican to the castle, was ordered either by Pope Nicholas III (who reigned between 1277-80) or by the Anti-Pope John XXIII (not to be confused with Pope John XXII) who was in power during the Western Schism (1410–1415).
While historians argue about which Pope began the passage, they agree that Pope Alexander VI finished the wall in 1492—and just in the nick of time. He used it to flee the invading French two years later. The most recent papal escape was in 1527, when Clement VII evaded the 20,000 mutinous troops of Charles V. Said troops went on to murder most of the Swiss Guard on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
You can also imagine what life was like for the people imprisoned in small cells used from the Renaissance right up until the 19th century. On a more mundane note, the Stufetto di Clement VI will show you what a Pope’s private restroom would have looked like in the 1500s. Not everyone’s toilet chamber is decorated with frescoes by Raphael!
However, the secret section of the castle goes back centuries more—it was originally built as a residence for Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd Century AD, and became his mausoleum as well. That early construction date may be part of the reason for the restricted size of the rooms and the tunnel, too; as a result, each tour of the “Secret Castle” is limited to 15 people. Reservations and pre-ordered tickets are essential! — Bethanne Patrick
Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo and Castello Segretto
Lungotevere Castello, 50
(39) 06 32810 for reservations and tickets
The museum proper is open daily except on Christmas and New Year’s Day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Daily Castello Segreto tours: four per day, two in Italian at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., two in English at noon and 4:00 p.m.
Price: 10€ for complete castle tour, 5€ for “secret” rooms only
Lungotevere Castello, 50
(39) 06 32810 for reservations and tickets
The museum proper is open daily except on Christmas and New Year’s Day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Daily Castello Segreto tours: four per day, two in Italian at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., two in English at noon and 4:00 p.m.
Price: 10€ for complete castle tour, 5€ for “secret” rooms only
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