Our last day in Rome and how to spend our time. Plenty left to see, in fact probably another weeks worth. TJS put a vote in for Castel Sant Angelo and that seemed like a decent plan. Rather than take a chance on Roman Sunday bus we walked through the city. Very nice it was too. Past the Trevi Fountain
The Obelisco di Montecitorio
Through the maze lovely shady and quiet streets of the Centro Storico
And across the St. Angelo Bridge to the castle
When we walked past on our first day, just after lunch, there was a substantial queue. Today there was none.
It was originally built as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and then converted into a Papal fortress after the fall of the empire. You can just see in the photo above the ramparts of the secret passageway (Passato di Borgo) that linked the castle to St Peters so the popes had somewhere to retreat to in times of war
The route through the castle takes you over the drawbridge past the the castles defences and then both inside and outside around the ramparts. Its a much bigger and robust construction up close than it looks from a distance, possibly as its dwarfed by St Peters just up the road
The views as you climb get better and better
The view of St Peters Basilica is especially good from the castle
You can see the bridge of the secret passage better in the photo below
I like this photo as it gives a great view down over the canopy of the stunning umbrella pines that are a real feature of Rome
The castle has its main immense circular keep protected at four corners with equally impressive bastions
The upper floors have lovely corridors and rooms some of which are lavishly decorated with some really impressive frescoes
I really liked this room which seemed to be telling mythological stories with an incredible level of detail
I liked the idea of a story about the attack of the giant lobsters seen in the middle of the photo
This room had a stunning ceiling decoration surrounding the supporting pillars
The best was saved for the summit terrace where the views across the city were as good as those from Il Vittoriano
Vatican City and St Peters Basilica
And of course the obligatory football stadium shot
Across the Centro Storico
The River Tiber and Giancolo Hill
It was pretty hot up here in the full sun but another of those “I don’t want to go down” moments for me
Last look at the Pantheon and Il Vittoriano
One of the amazing rooms as we descended back through the castle
And a last view across the St Angelo Bridge
I had thought the castle would be mildly diverting but in fact it was excellent. There was loads to see, everything was well presented and most of the rooms were accessible. Combined with the views from the top I’d say it was as essential to visit as Rome’s other main sites
We headed back to Bianco’s vespette e forchette restaurant for lunch, another long and lazy affair with a couple of beers help things along. In the afternoon we hung out in the Villa Borghese, a huge expanse of green space in the heart of the city. I took a short stroll along to the small lake and Temple of Asclepius. It was a stunning spot busy on Sunday with picnicing families
Just behind was the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
We spent the rest of the afternoon just lazing on the grass by a pleasant pond and small fountain in the park
And that was our Rome stay done and dusted. All we had left was another fraught metro journey to pick up our bags and head for the station for our next train ride.
Rome was magnificent, perhaps not the ideal time to visit in the heat of summer, but we loved it regardless. The atmosphere in the local neighbourhood where stayed is something I recall just as fondly as the amazing places we saw. As I said, I threw my coins into the Trevi Fountain so I just need to set a return date now
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