By www.romephotofuntours.com - Giulio D'Ercole
Castel Sant'Angelo, the ancient Popes' fortress, today a wonderful monument displaying centuries of history, art and, most of all, war related artifacts. Inside the castle in fact, there is a permanent very interesting exhibition of medieval, renaissance and Risorgimento swords, armors, guns and small cannons that had been used for over one thousand years to defend the Pontifical State.
However, the link with papal history should not be misleading: Castel Sant'Angelo was first called "Mausoleum of Hadrian". In fact it was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. Only much later on the building became Popes' castle.
With its is towering cylindrical structure, the fortress was once the tallest building in Rome.
The fact that it is placed on the river shores, surrounded by a nice little park, with no buildings in the immediate vicinities, at the end of the Bridge of Angels, and with Saint Peter's square in the background, Castel Sant'Angelo is one of the most photogenic monuments in Rome. During both our Rome by day and Rome by night tours, we shall indulge in taking great pictures of it from all different angles and from very many points of view. Castel Sant'Angelo is the perfect model for experimenting and understanding how to compose a memorable photo.
