Castel Sant’Angelo, Hadrian’s Masoleum

Duration: 2 hours

You will be met by our specialised guide outside the main door of the Castle to make you discover the secrets of one of the most famous monuments of ancient Rome.
It was built at the same time as the Elio bridge by Emperor Hadrian in 130 A.D. as his and the Antonini’s mausoleum and then (later) Emperor Aurelian made it into a fortress and connected to the walls built by him for the defense of the city.
During the Renaissance, when it was the Pope’s residence it was transformed into luxurious apartments and then much later on it was used as barracks and a military prison.
Inside the castle you will cross the history of the centuries between secret passages, sepulchral cells where the ashes of Hadrian’s successors were kept, the cells for prisoners, the collections of weapons, paintings, sculptures and other memories of the history of the castle.

We will pretend to be many toy soldiers on guard to the Pope and we will discover together how this mighty Mole defended himself, where the Pope slept and where he was hiding.
Is there also a treasure? All to discover!

We will make games, coloring pages and many stories to tell.