Castel Sant'Angelo Priority Ticket, Guide Optional

This is a ticket rather than a tour, which is the right choice for some people and the wrong one for others. What you get is priority entry, with staff at the gate to get you through, and then the building to yourself for as long as you want. No group to keep up with, no commentary you did not ask for, and no fixed exit time. An audio guide in several languages can be added if you want the history without the pace of a tour. What you are walking into is three buildings in one. The Roman drum at the centre is Hadrian's tomb. The medieval fortress was built on top of it when the popes needed somewhere they could hold. The Renaissance apartments were fitted inside that, painted and furnished for men who intended to live comfortably even under siege. The joins are visible: brick against travertine, arrow slits opening onto frescoed rooms. The spiral ramp climbs to the terrace at the top, where the city arranges itself around the bend of the river, with St Peter's on one side and the whole centre on the other.