Passetto di Borgo
{{Short description|Papal bridge in Rome}}
File:Passetto di Borgo from Castel Sant'Angelo 01.jpg
File:VicoloDelFarinone1930.jpg seen from Vicolo del Farinone, before the demolition of the neighborhood (c. 1930)]]
Image:Rome passetto night outside.jpg
The Passetto di Borgo, or simply Passetto, is an elevated passage that links the Vatican City with the Castel Sant'Angelo. It is an approximately {{convert|800|m|ft|adj=mid|-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.
On at least two occasions it served as an escape route for Popes in danger. Pope Alexander VI crossed it in 1494, when Charles VIII invaded the city and the pope's life was in peril. Clement VII escaped to safety through this passage during the Sack of Rome in 1527, when troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, massacred almost the entire Swiss Guard on the steps of St Peter's Basilica.
See also
- Index of Vatican City-related articles
- Vasari Corridor, Florence
- Passages for Maria Maddalena de' Medici ({{abbr|incl.|including}} the {{lang|it|corridoio mediceo}}), also in Florence
References
- {{cite book
| last=D'Onofrio
| first=Cesare
| title=Castel Sant'Angelo e Borgo tra Roma e Papato
| publisher=Romana Società Editrice
| location=Rome
| language=it
| year=1978
}}
- {{cite book
| last=Di Fiume
| first=Mark
| title=Sogno nel Passetto?
| publisher=Ballo Editrice
| location=Bologna
| language=it
| year=2000
}}
- {{cite book
| last=Augias
| first=Corrado
| author-link=Corrado Augias
| title=The secrets of Rome : love & death in the eternal city
| publisher=Rizzoli Ex Libris
| location=New York
| year=2007
| isbn=9780847829330
}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- [http://roma.andreapollett.com/S1/roma-c7.htm Curious And Unusual: the Passetto]
{{coord|41|54|12|N|12|27|42|E|region:IT_type:landmark|display=title}}
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{{Vatican City topics}}{{Authority control}}
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1279