Second trip to Rome, and thinking of including it in our itinerary with our kids.

Not sure if we should do an audio guide, guided tour, or just walk through ourselves. Or perhaps just walk across the bridge and enjoy the outside?

Seems like a great place to be at dusk, and supposedly open until almost midnight in the summer? (my guidebook says 23:45!)

Please let me know what your experiences have been.
Thank you!
Dina

For me I would say to ask yourself if you find the sight interesting. If you say 'yes', then it's definitely 'worth it' to you. I don't think someone else can say for sure that you'll think it'll be worth it or not as that person has his/her own opinions about that particular sight.

The views from the top are outstanding on a clear day. Really good view of the Vatican. I'm always trying to get to the best views so that was enough reason for me to go there. I waited until the sky was perfect before going.

We were there last month, but just enjoyed the outside. We took some great photos from across Pont S. Angelo (where they filmed the dance party scene in Roman Holiday).

Woody

i was there when the Pope died, so seeing the media circus and the mobs of people streaming into San Pietro from above was rather interesting. If you would like a nice spot to pictures of San Pietro and Rome's cityscape, it fits the bill.

That said, I found touring the castle a crashing bore, but I tend to feel that way about most castles. They remind me how uncomfortable it must have been to live in the Middle Ages. And I already knew that.

Thanks for the tips.

It doesn't sound like anyone's been wowed by the tour. good to know.

By the way, Francophile,
it definitely appeals to me, but there's so much to do in Rome, I was wondering to what extent others enjoyed it. That's the great thing about this forum-- to get other people's opinions about something you may know little about. I can get the simple facts about it from a guidebook.

Any other opinions?

Castle Sant'Angelo needs a bit of homework: those who have read Angels & Demons would not find it boring, nor those who know a bit of papal history, who Benvenuto Cellini was and how he was imprisoned there, broke his leg when escaping and ran across the Ponte Sant'Angelo.
You only get out of a place what you put in before you go. For some good background & insiders tips see
www.elegantetruria.com

Vetrella -- I was going to mention the Angels & Demons connection. I read the book after seeing Castel Sant'Angelo and could definitely picture the action.

sorry vetralla -- I misspelled your name

I happened to enter as a guide was conducting a tour in Italian, and since I could understand it, I kind of followed her explanations. (Since she was "speaking up" to her group of about 20, this was not diffcult.)

When the tour ended, both the group and I were at the top. The sun was just about to set, the lights in the Vatican and on St. Peter's were just coming up, and the view was probably the best view I've had in Europe, tying with the Florentine skyline from Fiesole for first place.

BuoN Viaggio,
BC

Angels and Demons is the castle's claim to artistic fame?

What was Tosca, chopped liver?

Hello vetralla,

I know more than 'a bit' of papal history, who Benvenuto Cellini was and how he was imprisoned there, broke his leg, etc. And yes, I've seen Tosca performed. I don't know what Angels & Demons is. Is it for kids? The original query was from someone with kids.

Your assumptions about why other people would find what you like boring are unfounded.

It's on our list because my 15 year old and I have both read Angels and Demons.

I found the place utterly fascinating. Walking from bottom to top, you pass through each phase of Rome's history...Roman era, middle ages, renaissance, etc.

And as bookchick mentions, the view from the top is splendid. We used it as the main image on the front page of our website:

onelittleworld.com

Call me uncultured if you want, but I've never seen Tosca. Angels & Demons is another Dan Brown novel, written before The Davinci Code, I believe. Loved it as the action mostly centered in Rome. Great light read.

For regular opera goers like myself.... it was fun.
Tosca leaps to her death from CastelSant'Angelo and my husband and I spent a lot of time trying to find the right spot - I'll tell you this.... when she jumped off the real thing Tosca did not bounce back.... as one diva was reported to have done when she hit a particularly springy mattress placed to cushion her fall.

Well this is all good news.
My son has read Angels and Demons and loved it, and my father-in-law is a Tosca fan. My husband is a history buff, too. Sounds like if we time it to get to the top it might be a fantastic experience.

Beatchick, that view sounds amazing. How was the tour you followed in ITalian? Not sure if we should do a guide or audioguide. We don't speak Italian, but I bet the content is the same, just translated. Was it engaging and worthwhile?

Thanks!
Dina

We toured ourselves and don't actually recall an audio guide option. Anyway, we really enjoyed the history and the great view from the top. One interesting display included scale models of Rome and the castle over several centuries.

There were many children when we were there, and they looked like they were having a gas looking at the weaponry, the cannon balls made of marble, etc.

There is an audioguide. You can rent in in the bookstore. We walked up quite a ways thinking we'd see where to get the audioguides. Finally figured it out and walked back down to get them. Oy.

In any case, not the best auidioguide, but then I am an audioguide connoisseur...

Grandma, I've loved that story about the bouncing Tosca for years, although once I heard the same story about a Cleopatra who fell when she clasped the asp and ended up bouncing back.

Here's one report that doubts the whole Tosca story.

http://tinyurl.com/e99m6

Meanwhile, on another post someone mentioned the cafe atop the Castel Sant'Angelo. Does anyone know what it's like and if it's any good?