One of Rome's most historic
monuments, Castel Sant'Angelo, is opening up spaces that were
previously inaccessible to the public, including a series of
rooms known as the Cambellotti Rooms, named for the artist who
painted them in 1925, in the highest part of the castle.
The monument will also offer new services to facilitate
tourist visits and help visitors understand the castle's history
through a smartphone app available in seven languages.
The app - available in Italian, English, Spanish, French,
German, Japanese, Chinese, and soon in Russian - can be used
during visits to highlight particular areas of the castle tell
their stories.
A series of eBeacons, which are installed throughout the
visitor pathway of the museum, can communicate with visitors
through the app by automatically providing relevant audio and
multimedia content as they move through the castle.
In addition, wifi will now be available in and around the
monument.
Lazio Region Museums Director Edith Gabrielli said the
developments will help overcome boundaries that previously
hampered tourists' full comprehension of one of the most-visited
tourist sites in Italy, with more than 1.2 million visitors per
year.
"It's very difficult to explain the castle's historic
stratification, starting from its origins as the Mausoleum of
Hadrian, then a fortress, then a Renaissance-era papal
residence, then a prison and a torture chamber, and now, a
museum," Gabrielli said.
Tourists can visit Hadrian's burial chamber, following in the
footsteps of those who brought the emperor's ashes to their
final resting place, and move along the path of the walls, the
papal apartments, Cagliostro's prison, along to the spectacular
"Angel Terrace".
For the first time ever, visitors will also be able to exit
from the ceremonial entrance designed by Giovanni Sallustio
Peruzzi, son of the famous architect Baldassare Peruzzi, to
reach the Cambellotti Rooms.
The three rooms were restored in 1925 to host Italian Army
memorabilia and were painted and frescoed by one of the most
renowned Liberty-era artists, Duilio Cambellotti.
"Cambellotti, who was known as a master of sinuous and floral
design, decided on this occasion to try his hand at military
themes," Gabrielli said.
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