20th Anniversary Dream Trip Contest

Great Travel Moment

I visited Rome in July, 2006 and climbed to the top of the Castel Sant'Angelo which afforded beautiful views of the city. Within walking distance from the Vatican, it was blessedly not besieged by the crowds of St. Peter's Square. As I walked around a circular battlement high up in the citadel, this window fortuitously framed Michelangelo's magnificent dome. A living monument to the ages, the Castel Sant'Angelo was not only picturesque but bespoke the ancient, medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and modern Roman cultures all at once. Completed as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian's ashes in AD 139, it has served as a residence and fortress for Popes, a prison, the Museum and cafe currently in place and the inspirational setting for Puccini's"Tosca" and Dan Brown's novel,"Angels and Demons". The Castel Sant'Angelo rewards with its visual wonder and welcome respite from the heat of the day.