Castel Sant'Angelo
Italy · Europe
About
Castel Sant'Angelo (pronounced [kaˈstɛl sanˈtandʒelo] Italian for 'Castle of the Holy Angel'), also known as Mausoleum of Hadrian (Italian: Mausoleo di Adriano), is a towering rotunda (cylindrical building) in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The popes later used the building as a fortress and castle dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, and it is now a museum. The structure was once the tallest building in Rome.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.