Castel Sant'Angelo

Built as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian (completed in 139 AD), it became a fortress, a prison and a papal refuge, linked to the Vatican by the Passetto di Borgo: in 1527, during the Sack of Rome, Pope Clement VII escaped here. Today it is a national museum with a superb terrace over the Tiber and St Peter's.

Did you know: The name comes from a legend: in 590, during a plague, Pope Gregory the Great is said to have seen the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword above the mausoleum. The bronze angel on top is by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (1753); the angels on the bridge were designed by Bernini. The last act of Puccini's “Tosca” is set here.

✦ The legend: The name comes from a vision. In 590, during a plague, Pope Gregory the Great was leading a procession along the Tiber when, so the story goes, he saw the Archangel Michael on top of the mausoleum sheathing his sword: a sign that the scourge was over. The plague ceased, and from then on Hadrian's tomb has been called Castel Sant'Angelo. The bronze angel on the summit is there for that reason.