L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano H ave you ever h e a r d a b o u t the Passetto di Borgo or, t o s a y i t i n Romanesco, er Coridore de Borgo? This historical land- mark is a bit of a 007-esque fixture in the middle of the baroque beauty of the area around the Vatican. The ele- vated and fortified corridor is part of the Vatican walls and joins the Apostolic Palace to Castel Sant'Angelo, with a path that runs along both Via dei Corridori and Via Borgo Sant'Angelo. Why do I say it has a 007- allure? Well, because it has been notably used by popes to escape the Vatican when in danger. This, back in days when the Pope would fight wars up and down Europe, could happen quite often. In 1494, Pope Alexander VI Borgia used the Passetto to f i n d s a f e t y a t C a s t e l Sant'Angelo, during Charles VIII of France's invasion of t h e c a p i t a l ( a n d o n o t h e r occasions, too, as we will see). Not much later, in 1527, i t w a s P o p e C l e m e n t V I I Medici to use it to escape the mercenary army of Charles V Hapsburg. But there is more because it was also used to t r a n s p o r t t o C a s t e l S a n t ' A n g e l o , s e e o f t h e Vatican State Prisons, pris- oners of certain danger or relevance, to ensure no one knew they were incarcerated there. A f i r s t v e r s i o n o f t h e Passetto can be dated back to t h e 6 t h c e n t u r y A D , a n d some remnants of it can still be seen near Porta Castello. Sometimes around 850 AD, Pope Leo IV ordered the con- struction of defense walls all around the Basilica of Saint Peters and its surroundings; to facilitate the operation, pre-existing structures were u t i l i z e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e Passetto, which was integrat- ed into the Vatican walls' sys- tem. There is, however, some uncertainty about when it became the defensive struc- t u r e w e k n o w t o d a y . A c c o r d i n g t o s o m e , t h e Passetto acquired its current strategic meaning and defen- s i v e s h a p e i n 1 2 7 7 , w h e n P o p e N i c h o l a s I I I m o v e d from the Lateranense Palace to the Vatican. Others, on the other hand, believe it was Pope Boniface IX to enhance its structure between the end of the 14th and the beginning o f t h e 1 5 t h c e n t u r y , w i t h antipope Baldassare Cossa, also known as John XXIII (no, we are not talking about Pope Roncalli, today a Saint of the Catholic Church, but of "another" John XXIII, elect- ed during the Council of Pisa in 1408, a council that was never recognized by Catholic authorities), adding up more defensive features between 1410 and 1415. With time, watchtowers and more fortifications were built, because the Passetto's f u n c t i o n w a s p r i m a r i l y defensive: it was used to con- trol the streets around the Vatican, ensure no riot devel- oped, and guarantee safety to Rome's most important citi- zen, the Pope. Indeed, this was its key role: offering a safe and quick way to escape the Vatican in case of danger, t o f i n d s a f e t y i n C a s t e l Sant'Angelo. Clearly, then, the use of the Passetto di Borgo is associated especially with the darkest moments of the Papacy's history, just as it happened, as said, in 1527, w h e n t h e L a n s q u e n e t s sacked Rome and threatened Pope Clement VII. On that occasion, the pontiff walked the 800 meters of the corri- d o r s u r r o u n d e d b y h i s entourage, who shielded him with dark cloaks and robes, s o t h a t h i s w h i t e c a s s o c k wouldn't attract the attention o f t h e e n e m y . T h e S w i s s Guards, who are still today the personal protectors of the Pope, blocked the access to t h e P a s s e t t o , e n a b l i n g Clement VII to reach Castel S a n t ' A n g e l o u n h u r t . According to historians, this was the last time the Passetto was used as an escape route. But if you think the con- struction has been enjoying retirement since the mid- 16th century, you'd be mis- taken. First of all, some saucy tales around Rome say that the infamous Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, would use the Passetto to reach, w i t h o u t b e i n g s e e n , t h e r o o m s w h e r e h e m e t h i s lovers. More than a walk of shame, however, it became a walk of hope, because its association with the sexual escapades of Pope Borgia gave origin to the belief that men who'd walk it back and forth 77 times – for a total of a b o u t 5 0 m i l e s – w o u l d regain their lost virility. For centuries, the Passetto remained closed and unused, until it was opened again for the Jubilee of the year 2000. T o d a y t h e P a s s e t t o d i Borgo is part of the histori- c a l - a r t i s t i c c o m p l e x of Castel Sant'Angelo and of the Parco della Mole Adriana. It underwent a period of restoration in 2018, then remained closed, along with all of our museums, for a good part of 2020 because of the pandemic. Today, you can visit the Passetto as part o f t h e t o u r o f t h e C a s t e l Sant'Angelo Museums, pro- vided you have your "super Green Pass," that is, that you are fully vaccinated and with the booster. Visits, which are available only with a guide, must be booked in advance and are available Tuesday to Sunday 9 am-7.30 pm. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE FRANCESCA BEZZONE A view of the Passetto di Borgo, in Rome (Photo: Anna Yordanova/Dreamstime) Three important popes for the Passetto: Alexander VI Borgia (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Author: www.comune.fe.it. License: Public Domain), Clement VII (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Author: Getty Museum. License: Public Domain) and Boniface IX (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Author: www.archive.org. License: Public Domain) The Pope's secret escape: the Passetto di Borgo

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