Castles · Tour

St Peter's, the Fortified Corridor Between, and the Papal Armoury

Reserved entry to three connected Vatican sites, walked in sequence. St Peter's Basilica first, where Michelangelo's dome is seen from outside and then from underneath, and where his Pietà stands. Then the Passetto di Borgo, the raised fortified corridor that joins Vatican City to Castel Sant'Angelo. What you notice walking it is that it was built to be defended: the walls, the arrow slits cut along its length, and the gates locked at both ends. The corridor delivers you into Castel Sant'Angelo, and the visit takes in the papal apartments with their Renaissance frescoes, and the armoury with its weapons and armour. The last stop is the rooftop terrace, among the statues, with the Tiber and the city below.