Passetto di Borgo

The Passetto di Borgo, or simply Passetto, is a secret passage that links the Vatican City with the Castle of Sant' Angelo. It is an approximately 800 m long corridor, located in the rione of Borgo. It was erected in 1277 by Pope Nicholas III, but parts of the wall were built by Totila during the Gothic War.

From outside it looks like a wall but inside there is the tunnel, which on several occasions served as an escape route for Popes in danger.

Pope Alexander VI crossed it in 1494, when Charles VIII invaded the city and the Pontiff's life was in danger.

Clement VII escaped to safety through this passage during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, massacred almost the entire Swiss Guard on the steps of St Peter's Basilica as the guard protected the Pope, buying him time to escape through the Passetto.

It played a key role in the Dan Brown novel Angels & Demons, through which the antagonist (a Hashishin) transported four abducted cardinals to the Castle of Sant' Angelo. The protagonists Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra later used the Passetto as a shortcut to Vatican City.

References

*cite book
last=D'Onofrio
first=Cesare
title=Castel Sant'Angelo e Borgo tra Roma e Papato
publisher=Romana Società Editrice, Roma
year=1978

*cite book
last=Di Fiume
first=Marko
title=Sogno nel Passetto?
publisher=Ballo Editrice, Bologna
year=2000

External links

* [http://mp_pollett.tripod.com/roma-c7.htm Curious And Unusual: the Passetto]
* [http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Exterior/Passetto/Passetto.htm The Passetto - From stpetersbasilica.org]