Hadrian's tomb turned papal fortress and escape pod.
Exterior + bridge free20 min
The story
1 min readHadrian's mausoleum (AD 139) recycled into a fortress with a raised escape corridor from the Vatican; Pope Clement VII fled down it during the 1527 Sack of Rome.
Cross Ponte Sant'Angelo, Bernini's ten wind-blown angels each carrying an instrument of the Passion, and look back at St. Peter's dome from midspan.