Opposite the S.Pietro Basilica the Lungotevere is dominated by the big Castel S.Angelo or Mausoleo di Adriano, that was a forteress and papal prison, joined to the Vatican by the Corridoio, built in 1277 to give to the pope a way to run when in danger and a piace for the defence because from the higher side they could see the roads which brought to the Borgo.
bed and brekfast rome. To the Castle you can go by Ponte S.Angelo (S.Angelo Bridge), remade on the old Ponte Elio built
by Adriano in 136 A.D. and decorated in 1688 by the ten angel statues of Bernini's school. During the centuries this
building had different uses: for defence of Aurelian walls, as little city in case of siege, papal prison and pope's
home in case of danger. This magnificent building was begun in 130 A.D. by the emperor Adriano to realize the Mausoleo
for his family , but not yet ended when the emperor died , it was ended in 139 A.D. by his successor Antonino Pio.
The Mausoleo was made by a big basement surmounted by a tower covered with marbles , columns and statues .On the
top there was a big bronze statue showing a four horses car-riage driven by Helios , the protector of Elia family.
In this Mausoleo were buried ali the roman emperors since Adriano to Settimo Severo. In 271 thè emperor Aureliano
including the building in the walls he made built to defend the city, made of it a forteress linking it to the
history and events of the city. In 590 during the terrible plague , the tradition says that the angel Michele
appeared to the pope Gregorio Magno on the top of the building announcing the end of the plague and from this
moment the Mausoleo was called of S.Angelo. After the historical events it became more and more a forteress, in
1493 Alessandro VI Borgia made restore the Corridoio Vaticano and added the towers to the angles. During the "Sack "
of Rome in 1527, pope Clemente VII and his court went in the castle and could escape to the destruction that were
made in the city by the Lanzichenecchi ordered by the Connestabile of Borbone. Employed as a prison, there were
kept many famous people: Arnaldo da Brescia,Giordano Bruno, Cagliostro,and the sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. Going
inside you find the courtyard where stands the staircase of roman age, well preserved. On the centre of the group
the "Sala delle Urne" holds the cinders of the members of Adriano's family , around which were made 58 rooms that
tourist can visit(MONUMENTS) In 1542 were built the Sala Paolina and the Apartments of Paolo III decorated with
stuccoworks by Baccio di Montelupo and fresco paintings by Perin del Vega and Girolamo Sermoneta. From the Rooms
of clemente Vili Aldobrandini, pope since 1592 to 1605, you can enter into the old historical prisons. From the
Camera del Tesoro you can go to the Sala Rotonda, and then to the Sala delle Colonne and thè upper terrace
dominated by the Arcangelo Michele Statue,by the sculptor Pieter Verschaffelt, made in 1753 , where you can see
the wonderful landscape of the city. This castle holds a museum where you can find artistic and mititary memories.
(MUSEUMS) On the back of the castle stands Via della Conciliazione , built in 1936 after the Patti Lateranensi
which made the Vatican City an indipendent state and fixed its area on about 44 hectares. From this moment in
the State there are besides the Basilica, also the Palazzi Apostolici, the Museums and some parks, surrounded by
the Vatican Walls. The City has a publishing editor , offices , shops, a newspaper (L'Osservatore Romano) and a
radio which speaks to ali the world. On thè left of Via della Conciliazione there is the S.Spirito Hospital,
built by Baccio Pontelli according the wish of pope Innocenzo III to be an home for the old and poor people.
In 1477 pope Sisto IV began the building of a new hospital for the poor people , realized in a modern way.
On the left of the front door stands the "rota" where could be left the little children orphans. Standing by
the horpital there is Palazzo del Commendatore,the director of the hospital and of the properties which were
part of the Banco di S.Spirito. The southern side of the hospital is taken by the Porta di S.Spirito considered
to be in the southern bond of thè Mura Leonine, erected by pope Leone IV in 845,which, with a lenght of 3
kilometer surround thè Vatican City. This Porta was built by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane in 1543-44.Always
in the area of Borgo S.Spirito you can find S.Spirito in Sassia Church,datable in Vili century and remade
between 1538 and 1544 by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane ,after the demolition of the former building during
the "sack " of 1527. So you get Via della Conciliazione stopped in thè bottom by the Bernini columns which
brings to Piazza S.Pietro. On the Street stands The Penitenzieri Palace old seat of the confesors. It was built
by the cardinal Domenico Della Rovere in 1480 and now it is the piace of Columbus Hotel. On the other side of
the road there is the S.Maria in Traspontina Church,made in 1566 on a former church destroyed during the sack
of Rome in 1527. 1n origin upon this piace of cult stood an old roman Pyramid thought to be the Tomba di
Romolo, destroyed at the end of 400 by pope Alessandro VI Borgia. Little far there is the Torlonia Palace
built at thè end of XV century for the cardinal Alessandro Castellesi. Owned by different people , in XVII
century was rent by Christina di Svezia and in 1820 went to the Torlonia.
Bed and Breakfast Rome. Important is the Convertendi Palace, made by Bramante and it is the piace where Raffaello
died in 1520. The present building has been rebuilt and moved to let the piace toVia della Conciliazione .On this
road opens a lot of little streets which brings to thè Borgo, an area where pilgrims stood in the hotels. So you get
S.Pietro Square which offers a scenario of big armony with the Colonnato, the Basilica and the Vatican Palaces that
you can see on the left. But more majestic could be the whole before the building of Via della conciliazione (1936) because thè Street which goes from Castel S.Angelo to the Basilica was made by a lot of little streets which made the Borgo. The clever pian of the square was made by Gian lorenzo Bernini under pope Alessandro VII pontifex in 1655. Made between thè 1656 and 1667 ,the project of Bernini holds the wide elliptical form of the square which centres are the fountains ,with two big side columns covered by a loggias with 40 statues of saints. The columns are 284 with 88 pilaster and go on beginning by the sides of the basilicas' face. Bernini certainly thought, planning this solution, to the lateancient architecture of thè city , with the round Forums as places of meeting and adunance for the population. In the centre of the square rises the big Obelisk of red granite that Caligola made bring to Rome by Eliopoli and that Nero after placed in the Circo Massimo. It was placed in this square in 1586 by domenico fontana under Sisto V. In the two sides of the Obelisk, stand the two Fontane of a baroque line and between the fountains and the Obelisk two circular stones included in the floor show the points from which the two lines of the columns seem to be made by an only line of columns. The Basilica of S.Pietro is the biggest church of the Christianity not only from the spiritual point of wiew , but for its dimensions too which surpass those of every other church;in fact it is 186 metres long, 36 metres ,as written on the floor of the nave ,and its inner space covered of marbles ,holds 11 chapels and 45 altars ,while its present shape comes by many generations of artists from the renaissance to thè Baroque. The former basilica was made build by Costantino in 324 in the piace on which according to the tradition stood the S.Pietro's tomb near the old Circo di Nerone where he was martyrized. Left in decay NiccolÙ V charged Bernardo Rossellino in 1452 to pian a new basilica, but it is with pope Giulio II della Rovere that in 1506 , the 18 Aprii,was put the first stone of the big and complex building by the Bramante who planned the building in Greek cross,with a centrai dome. But it needed more than 100 years before that the new Basilica could be consecrated, in 1626, the 18 November ,by pope Urbano VIII, and during these years a lot of artists worked here: Raffaello with Giuliano da Sangallo (1514);Baldassarre Peruzzi; Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane (1538); Michelangelo (1547) who planned the magnificent dome.
bed brekfast rome. After his death in 1564 the direction of works was taken by Pirro Ligorio, Jacopo Vignola, Domenoco
Fontana, Giacomo della Porta e Carlo Maderno who in 1606 will enlarge the Basilica. The present structure of the
Basilica is mostly by Michelangelo, neverthless the position of the dome was changed by Carlo Maderno who sent away
the face of the church from the dome. This face is 115 metres long and 46 tall, it was made by Maderno in 11614
and has behind a staircase on which tops there are the staues of S Pietro and S.Paolo. Scan the face with regularity
and classical armony 8 big columns and 4 pilaster on which stands thè Statues of Jesus, Battista, and Apostoli.
Upon the front door is placed thè mosaic of the Navicella by Giotto. Five doors bring into the basilica: the last
one on the right is the Porta Santa which is opened only during the Holy Year,the centrai one is by Filaretre in
1445 and stili stood in the old basilica, on the left there is the door made by Manzo in XX century. Going inside
you are taken by its magnificence ,the ceiling vault is 44 metres high ,the dome 120 and is 42 metres large held by
4 big pilasters. The aitar under the cupola is dominated by the Baldacchino made by Bernini in 1633 for Urbano Vili
with golden bronze that was taken by the Pantheon. In the bottom of the apse stands the Cattedra made in 1654 by
Gian Lorenzo bernini, built with a base of valuable marbles held by 4 bronze statues showing S.Ambrogio ,S.Agostino,
S.Atanasio and S.Giovanni Crisostomo , holding the wooden seat "seggio" where according to the tradition sat S.Pietro. bed and brekfast rome. On the right there is the Monument to Urbano Vili Barberini stan-ding by the allegories of
Justice and Charity ,while on the left stands the Monument to Paolo III made by Giacomo della Porta ,under thè
direction of Michelangelo in 1550. It is impossible to enumerate the wonderful works which stands in the basilica,
but it's important to remember that in the right aisle inside the first chapel you can see the group La Pietà made
by Michelangelo in 1499 when he was only 25 years old.
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