Rome: Visit museums at night in another city that never sleeps

It’s not too late to join the nocturnal revelry at Castel Sant’Angelo on the banks of the Tiber River in Rome. Every night through Sunday, starting at 8:45 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, the ancient monument, built as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian around 140 A.D., opens to visitors with concerts, cabarets, children’s entertainment and refreshments on the terrace.

As a special treat, visitors can tour Il Passetto, the secret passage between the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo, used by fleeing popes and recently featured in the movie “Angels & Demons.”

Not only that, but the Museum of the Imperial Forums, also known as Trajan’s Markets Museum, on via IV Novembre is staying open from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 12 for floodlighted tours, and the Vatican Museums have announced a special late opening every Friday in September and October (from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.; last entrance 9:30 p.m.). Among the papal treasures open for viewing there are the Map Gallery, Raphael Stanze and Sistine Chapel.

But nota bene: advance booking for the Vatican Museums is required.

—Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo: The Map Gallery in the Vatican Museums. Credit: Susan Spano/ Los Angeles Times

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 4:18 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.