Vatican Fortress Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Rome, initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.
The popes converted the structure into a castle, from the 14th century; Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to St. Peter's Basilica by a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo. The fortress was the refuge of Pope Clement VII from the siege of Charles V's Landsknecht during the Sack of Rome (1527), in which Benvenuto Cellini describes strolling the ramparts and shooting enemy soldiers.
Leo X built a chapel with a fine Madonna by Raffaello da Montelupo. In 1536 Montelupo also created a marble statue of Saint Michael holding his sword after the 590 plague (as described above) to surmount the Castel.[2] Later Paul III built a rich apartment, to ensure that in any future siege the Pope had an appropriate place to stay.
Montelupo's statue was replaced by a bronze statue of the same subject, executed by the Flemish sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt, in 1753. Verschaffelt's is still in place, though Montelupo's can be seen in an open court in the interior of the Castle.
The Papal state also used Sant'Angelo as a prison; Giordano Bruno, for example, was imprisoned there for six years. Executions were made in the small interior square. As a prison, it was also the setting for the third act of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca from whose ramparts the eponymous heroine of the opera leaps to her death.

pierrefonds, cagla, Budapestman, Charo, jlbrthnn, BWJ, Cricri, feather, Cretense, carper, Jakab trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

gilou530 (35568) 2009-09-13 12:46

salut asa
un endroit bien cadré sous une belle lumiére un cadrage parfait rien de plus pour faire une belle photo
amitiés
gilbert

pastadog (12821) 2009-09-13 12:47

A good POV of this classic view, with good reflections on the river... good sky too, with great clouds...

COSTANTINO (23105) 2009-09-13 13:22

Hello
A nice,magnificent classic view
A real postcard dedicated from you to all of us
great sharpness and lightness
regards and compliments
Costantino

john1 (2321) 2009-09-13 13:25

Hello Asa,

Excellent details and reflection of the castle.
Good pespective , great sharpness and light.
Goosd shot.
Have a good sunday.
john

mauro61 (16152) 2009-09-13 14:01

ciao Asa,
bellissima panoramica su Castel S.Angelo con il ponte e il Tevere.
Colori tenui con un'ottima luce sotto un bel cielo.
saluti
maurizio

emka (22131) 2009-09-13 14:40

Hi asa, Nice memories of your European trip. beautiful view of the Castle sant' Angelo and the bridge. The colour of the river is rather strange - it is definitely not blue :)). Strange white tents on the shore.

Regards

Malgorzata

npecanhuk (14492) 2009-09-13 16:13

Hello Asa!
Rome is always beautiful whichever the pov you choose!
I really like your picture that has enhanced Rome's beauty with top photographical qualities!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

pierrefonds (26559) 2009-09-13 19:34

Hi Asa,

The reflections on the water are assets to the composition. The point of view leads our eyes toward the bridge which is giving depth to the photo. It is also showing the details and colors of the Vatican fortress. Have a nice day.

Pierre

cagla (2255) 2009-09-14 5:35

Hello Asa, I've seen this castle before but never from this point of view. This is a wonderful wide angle,I like all the very sharp details of both the bridge and water, and the fortress. Congrats and TFS.
Çağla.

Budapestman (42660) 2009-09-14 6:27

Hi Asa,
picturesque view with spectacular composition and beautiful architectural details, superb colours and lights, beautiful shot of this famous place. Have a nice week!
George

Charo (31677) 2009-09-14 13:43

Hello Asa,
Excellent perspective on the mausoleum and the bridge. Very good composition accompanied by a good note. Great contrast of old architectures with these white huts along the river.
Best regards,
Charo

John_F_Kennedy (31865) 2009-09-14 23:51

Hello,
The castle is a most interesting building and it's location at the river is gorgeous. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

jlbrthnn (38727) 2009-09-15 2:41

Hello Asa,
The castle is very well positioned, and is underlined by this bright tents. Water brings a timid, but useful reflection. Excellent quality of the exposure. the note is read with interest. Congratulations.
Have a nice day.
Cordially.
Joël

BWJ (1775) 2009-09-15 6:07

Hello Asa,
Your POV and composition are outstanding. The lighting and colors are very beautiful with excellent sharpness. It is a great shot!

I see you have developed a nice Travel Log of your travel in Italy, France, and Switzerland this summer. It looks like a wonderful trip. I will be back to see more of your pictures.
Kind regards,
Betty

cobra112 (11832) 2009-09-15 10:56

Ciao Asa. Classical Roman's taken in good colours and light. Very good perspective and amazink sky.

Roberto

Cricri (43560) 2009-09-15 11:16

Hi Asa
Une vue et une note intéressante de la forteresse du vatican, bien cadrer avec le pont, une très belle lumière et des couleurs naturels bien préserver
Friendship
cricri

feather (50040) 2009-09-15 12:57

Nicely composed image of the fortress and the bridge leading to it. Your POV works well; I assume you were on another bridge. The colour of the water looks a bit strange as if it is polluted, but it still provides a good surface for some reflections.
Kath

batalay (21126) 2009-09-15 21:34

Hello Asa,

Your photograph is a classic as is your note. I hadn't realized that the Victor Emanuel Monument is as close as your photo reveals. My late Italian aunt, Adriana, would have loved the shot, but would have been angered by the tents on the shores of the Tiber. Thanks for letting us visit Rome vicariously,

Bulent

Cretense (56866) 2009-09-16 4:15

Hello Asa!

Excellent architecture photo, very unusual and very impressive round castle! Great composition and framing, excellent light managment and colours!

Hercules

ktanska (16695) 2009-09-18 3:33

Hi Asa,
Nice river scene, I have good memories of the park surrounding that castle that no doubt has interesting history. Anyway this is on the Rome side of the border, Vatican starts from the walls surrounding Piazza San Pietro.
Kari

carper (65448) 2009-09-18 23:01

very nice shot here Asa,
a well taken shot, nice place good lines very good balance in the shot, well seen and good photo job, have a good weekend.
regard jaap

pablominto (41148) 2009-09-25 3:36

Hello Asa,

This is a well composed presentation with fine details!
I can't help noticing the white tents along the river but I can't quite figure out the purpose...
Fine details in the ancient architecture, and the fluffy clouds are as always a pleasure to look at!

Greetings,
Pablo -

francio64 (11588) 2009-09-25 4:16

Ciao Asa,
bella vista diurna del Castel Sant'Angelo con il Lungotevere in festa.
Ottimo il DOF che chiude sull'Altare della Patria.

Well done!
Francesco

P.S.
Ho una foto con un POV molto simile, scattata 2 mesi dopo di questa, ma di notte.

Se vuoi, puoi vederla seguendo questo link:
http://it.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=3&p=1123527

testmaniac (12256) 2009-09-25 21:34

Hello Asa, nice photo from Rome. Good sharpness and colors!

TFS

Phil

mkamionka (4850) 2009-09-26 7:11

Hi Asa,
very good composition. It makes an excellent postcard.
Rome is IMO the most beautiful city in the world.
TFS
M

Jakab (3480) 2009-09-26 15:31

Hello Asa,
here is really nothing to complain. (Well, perhaps the Palace of the Justice in the background could be slightly lower but unfortunately we were not asked by the architect.) The composition is optimal, I like especially that you have given such a big surface to the Tevere.
Compliments!
Laszlo

delkoo (34588) 2009-10-26 13:11

hi asa
You've caught a great atmosphere here. The sky looks very impressive. I also like this simple composition with fantastic depth of field. Congratulations!

didier

gunbud (28107) 2009-11-07 18:31

Hi Asa,
Another great shot from your world travels.
Love how the old Roman aqudeuct bridge makes a subtle reflection in muddy river.
The beautiful Vatican Fortress stands out brilliantly aganist the beutiful blue sky and dramatic clouds.
Regards, Tom

Photo Information

Copyright: Asa Jernigan (asajernigan) (14246)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2009-06-22
Categories: Châteaux, Nature, Architecture
Camera: Canon EOS 50D, Canon 10-22 EF-S f/3.5-4.5 USM, DIGITAL Circular P.L.D. 72mm
Exposition: f/16, 1/100 secondes
More Photo Info: view
Versions: version originale
Carnet de voyage: Italy, Switzerland & France 2009
Date Submitted: 2009-09-13 12:23