The Extraordinary Tour of the Castel Sant’ Angelo – Private Fortress of the Popes! Forget all the hot, overcrowded tours of the usual tourist sites. This is such a fantastic opportunity, that you will notice many of the other visitors around us will be Italians and even Romans! What makes this visit so amazing? The Castle was first built by the mad Emperor Hadrian (in the Talmud, known as Adrianus) to be his own tomb – a gigantic round mortuary with an entire artificial forest on top of it!Then, after the fall of Rome, it was ravaged by the barbarians and remodeled by the Popes to be their private fortress when the Vatican was under enemy attack.
In peaceful times, the Popes had it decorated and re-decorated according to their very elaborate tastes. So, the huge structure is a sort of time machine – starting in the bottom at 18 centuries ago, then working our way up through different styles and transformations. On the rooftop is the greatest view of Rome. For opera fans, this is where the last act of Puccini’s Tosca takes place – we can even show you where the diva is supposed to have jumped off the roof. For fans of the Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons, we will actually be able to show you the entrance to the forbidden Passetto – the secret escape tunnel of the Popes!
Imagine, a Jewish expert on the Vatican and Rome leading you through layer after layer of history. You will hear stories from the Talmud and from the Renaissance, stories of our ancestors and of the scandalous carrying-on of several Popes. do not miss this breathtaking experience! Our private Castel Tours meet at the front door to the Castel S. Angelo (a very easy spot to find!)”
