By
Erin Callahan
Part
of my "homework" before I went to Rome was to read
the book Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. This book
was very fascinating and taught me a lot about the city of
Rome and the Vatican. I wanted to try to visit every place
they talked about in this book. There wasn't enough time to
see it all, but here are some of the places I was able to
see. Two of the pictures, Castle St. Angelo and Island Tiberina,
I had to copy from postcards, because I was not able to take
pictures of these while I was there, but I did see them from
my bus.
NOTE:
For more pictures of Angels & Demons and other
Dan Brown books, visit Dan Brown's official
web site with a Photo
Gallery of his book. |
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Vatican
City |
| St.
Peter's Basilica and Square (left) / Chimney of the Sistine
Chapel (right): |
During
the course of the book, Robert Langdon spent much of
his time in Vatican City. He wandered through St.
Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.
In fact, one of the elements on the Path of Illumination
was found near the Obelisk in the center of St. Peter's
Square.
The
book takes place during Conclave, the Catholic tradition
of choosing a new Pope. The Chimney of the Sistine
Chapel is used to tell the world when the Cardinals
have elected a new pope. White smoke coming from the
chimney represents a new Pope has been elected, and
black smoke shows a Pope had not been elected. (The
chimney is the small stack on top of the brown triangle
rooftop between the St. Peter's Basilica and the papal
apartments). |
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| Inside
St. Peter's Basilica (left) / Staircase to the Tomb of
St. Peter (right): |
In
one of the most thrilling events of the book, the Camerlengo
enters St. Peter's Basilica and descends the
stairway to the Tomb of St. Peter, the most
holy place in this basilica. The stairway is located
right in front of Bernini's papal canopy, the Baldacchino.
Bernini's art plays a very important role in this book. |
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 |
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| The
Swiss Guard (left) / St. Peter's Basilica (right): |
The
Swiss Guard is said to be the most loyal sentinels
in the world. Since 1506 when pope Julius II invited
Helvetian soldiers to join the small Vatican army, they
have been the guards of the Vatican and the pope in
particular. The guards must be Roman Catholic males
of Swiss nationality who have completed basic training
with the Swiss military and can obtain certificates
of good conduct. Recruits must be between 19 and 30
and at least 174 cm (5ft 9in) tall. They wear colorful
outfits designed by Michelangelo.
I
had to show St. Peter's Basilica again with me in the
foreground to prove that I was actually there! |
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| Rome |
| The
Pantheon (left) / Tomb of Raphael (right): |
Robert
Langdon visited the Pantheon to try to find
the Path of Illumination. The Tomb of Raphael
is the reason he thought the path started here, and
where he thought the first murder would take place.
|
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| The
Elements of the Path of Illumination - Air (left) / Water
(right): |
I
was only able to visit two of the four elements on the
Path of Illumination. All landmarks on this path are
art pieces by Bernini. Pictured here are Air,
found near the Obelisk in the center of St. Peter's
Square, and Water, found on the Obelisk in
the center fountain (the Fountain of the Four Rivers)
of Piazza Navona.
NOTE:
I took a picture of the Eastern Wind, however, the book
uses the Western. To see the picture of the actual landmark
of Air, visit Dan Brown's Photo
Gallery of Angels & Demons.
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| Piazza
Navona (left) / Fountain of the Four Rivers (right): |
One
of the murders of the book takes place in the Piazza
Navona. There are three fountains within this square;
two are by Bernini. The center fountain, the Fountain
of the Four Rivers, is the location of this murder.
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| Castle
St. Angelo (left) / Tiberina Island (right): |
The
Castle St. Angelo is the lair of the Illuminati.
One of the most intense events of the book happens here.
The
Tiberina Island is a hospital island within
Rome. The people of this island saved Robert Langdon’s
life.
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