Passetto di Borgo, also known as Passetto, is an 800 meters passageway that, thanks to the Leonine Wall, connects Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican City in Rome. This secret corridor was commissioned by Niccolò III in the XIII century as a way for the popes to escape and get into Castel Sant’Angelo when their safety was at risk.
The “passetto” was not built at the same time as the Leonine Wall, commissioned years prior by Pope Leone IV, more precisely in the IX century. This 800 meters corridor, with its passage being only 3,5 meters wide, meant that only two people could pass at the same time, making it safer for the popes to not be chased. This passage was quite useful throughout history.
You can choose one of our Vatican Tours to explore it and discover the fascinating story behind this historic passageway.
Popes that used this passageway
Passetto di Borgo was the protagonist of two very famous getaways. One happened in 1494, with Pope Alessandro VI, when the French, with Charles VIII, attacked Rome. The other was in 1527 when Pope Clement VII escaped because of the Sack of Rome. Pope Clement VII had to stay in Castel Sant’Angelo for circa 7 months to survive the pitfalls of the Swiss, Spanish and German troops of Charles VII massacring the city of Rome.
How it became a turist attraction
The Passetto was, at first, property of the Vatican City, even though most of it was located in Italian territory. This only changed recently with Pope Giovanni Paolo II who chose to give it to the Italian Government, all but the first 80 meters of the corridor that are located in the Vatican.
After some years of maintenance work, the Italian government managed to reopen Passetto di Borgo for the public in 1999. It is now possible to walk through Passetto di Borgo by visiting Castel Sant’Angelo.
You may have seen Passetto di Borgo in some movies
Passetto di Borgo has become quite popular in today’s culture thanks to movies, novels, music and video games that have scenes set in this historical place.
It played a fundamental role in Angels & Demons, a novel written by Dan Brown, where the character of the antagonist had to transport four abducted cardinals to Castel Sant’Angelo. It was also used, in the same novel, by the protagonist, as a shortcut to Vatican City.
Passetto di Borgo was also used by Tom Cruise in the movie Mission Impossible 3 and mentioned in the song “The Last Stand” by Sabaton.
The setting of the Passetto is also used in the popular video game Assassin’s Creed II by its protagonist, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. He uses the passageway to get from the Castle to the Sistine Chapel.
Conclusions
Visiting Passetto di Borgo is definitely an experience that will either bring you back in time and make you feel like a runaway or make you think you’re in an action movie! Either way, it’s going to be an amazing experience! To get to know more about Passetto di Borgo and the city of Rome, make sure to book a tour with us!
