The Angel That Named the Castle: Skip-the-Line Guided Visit

The building was called Hadrian's mole for four centuries. The name it has now comes from a plague. In 590 Rome was dying of one, and Gregory the Great led a penitential procession across the bridge. According to the account, the Archangel Michael appeared above the mausoleum and sheathed his sword, and the plague ended. Whatever happened, the name stuck, and there has been an angel on the roof ever since. The one up there now is bronze, and it replaced a marble predecessor that is still in the courtyard below. The visit works through the building with a guide and skip-the-line entry: the tomb of the emperor at the centre, the frescoed papal apartments above it, and the corridors that connect the two, which were built for defence rather than for visitors and feel like it. On the bridge outside, the angels are by Bernini and his workshop, with figures by Raggi and Morelli among them, each carrying an instrument of the Passion. Bring your original ID card: it is required for entry.