Rome is rich in beauties and among these it is impossible not to include Castel Sant'Angelo. A wonderful giant, located in a space that seems designed for taking dream photos. It is one of the most important and well-known architectural sites in Italy. An area that collects various legends. Initially known as Mausoleum of Hadrian, was finished in 139 BC with the intention of housing the ashes of the Emperor. The structure is entirely covered with travertine marble and tuff, embellished with marble statues adds later.
The legend of Ponte Sant'Angelo
Ponte Sant'Angelo was originally used to expose the heads of those sentenced to death. A grim and brutal warning. In 1669 it was renovated, which led to the addition of the Angels of the Passion by Bernini. Legend has it that it is inhabited by a ghost. It would be the restless spirit of a young woman. His name, in life, was Beatrice Cenci. Lived in Roma in the late Renaissance period, part of a noble family of the time.
It is not possible to see it every night, but only between 10 and 11 September of each year. The myth has it that he travels the path that leads to the Castle, holding his head in his hands. His is a profoundly dramatic story. At the age of 16 he was the subject of the violence of his father, Francesco Cenci. The mother Lucrezia was inert and the young woman wrote to the Pope, so as to have support, but without receiving any reply. He therefore took his own destiny in his hands and, involving the brothers Giacomo and Bernardo, got the better of the man, who died brutally.
A death that brought them before the judge. Vain attempts to justify death, making it pass for a natural death due to a hemorrhage. All family members were gradually executed. Beatrice obtained a 25-day extension due to the support she received from the people. L'11 September 1557, however, she was beheaded in front of Castel Sant'Angelo.
The legend of Castel Sant'Angelo
Another legend concerns the name of the ancient structure, which seems to be linked toArchangel Michael. A story handed down in the XNUMXth century, which however refers to Rome in the XNUMXth century. At the time Gregory the Great he was elected Pope and the city was in total chaos. Dominating was death and famine.
A life of hell for the Capitoline, also struggling with the flood of the Tiber river and the plague, which had decimated the population. The Pontiff decided to revive the fortunes of Rome by organizing a procession, in order to ask for divine mercy. Three days that saw the citizens participate copiously, who sang sacred hymns for hours and hours.
Once in front of Castel Sant'Angelo, at the time known as Hadrian's Mausoleum, they saw the silhouette of an angel appear. It was the August 29, 590 and that figure put a flaming sword in its sheath. Clear reference toArchangel Michael. The myth has it that since then the plague epidemic ended, which led to a tribute to the winged Savior Angel. The building was thus renamed Castel Sant'Angelo. There where the angel descended, his footprints remained imprinted in the stone. This was extracted and is now exhibited at the Capitoline Museums.
