Ever since the inception of the book, and then the release of the most recent movie, Angels and Demons tours have spread all across Rome and the Vatican. This is due to the easy-to-follow method of moving about Rome and the Vatican that is directed through the entire movie. The tour was completely set out along the ‘path of illumination’ which saves most of the work for developing a well done path for touring. For those that are interested in such a tour but just don’t have the capacity to manage paying for the guided part, you can just take the Rome tour yourself so long as you know the areas that are covered. So here are each of the areas that were in Angels and Demons and how they are connected to the movie or book.
Wind – Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica
The biggest and main forum of the Vatican City with the largest Catholic cathedral connected to it. The tiles on the floor of this square are what became famed in the movie for having the person blowing wind from their mouth. If you hadn’t figured it out, this is your stop at the wind element on the Path of Illumination. It is a great place to start your day because getting there early in the morning means it isn’t as crowded and if you choose the right day (Wednesday) you can even see the Pope give a sermon out in the square of Saint Peter.
Earth – Piazza del Popolo
The piazza del Popolo is where you will find your second obelisk in your trip to the earth element along the Path of Illumination. The churches here are still around from much of the renaissance period, including the Chigi Chapel which is where you will find the representation of earth in the mosaics and pyramid designs. The Santa Maria del Popolo happens to house the chapel, and possesses an extensive amount of other Raphael art pieces such as the Demon Hole.
Fire – Santa Maria della Vittoria
The Santa Maria della Vittoria is a minor catholic basilica that comes from the Baroque period. It houses the famous chapel of Cornaro, which contains the sculpture done by Bernini called ‘Ecstasy of St Teresa’, which took a very liberal approach to a moment in Saint Teresa’s autobiography. If you haven’t figured it out, this is your stop for the fire element along the path of illumination. Interestingly, this church actually suffered a fire many years back and had to be rebuilt partially.
Water – Piazza Navona
The Piazza is a beautiful square with the famous fountain of four rivers nearly in the center of it and two other fountains around it that all possess a Baroque design. Once again the Fountain of Four Rivers was developed by Bernini and portrays four main rivers: the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata. As could be guessed this is the water element on the path of illumination.
The Passage – Castel Sant’ Angelo
This is the Castel Sant’ Angelo the secret area that was used by the illuminati in Angels and Demons and even has a passageway that connects it to the Vatican. The tomb was actually built for Emperor Hadrian nearly eighteen centuries ago. You can actually visit this entire area, plus the passage and prison as of only a couple years ago. The tomb area itself generally has concerts in the summer.
If you would like to visit additional places that were in Angels and Demons that were not major points of the Path of Illumination then you can take a look at the movie or read the book and make notes of the areas before taking your personal tour of Rome. Some of the additional areas though were the Pantheon, Sistine Chapel which is connected to the Vatican Museum, and the Caserta Royal Palace was used for the filming of the movie to replace filming in the Vatican itself.
Don’t forget to have a good time while trying to find all the signs and symbols that were a part of the movie and book!
Sarah Murphy has worked in Dublin for the last two years as a blogger, web content manager and marketing coordinator. A journalist by training and travel junkie by nature, she regularly travels to Italy for both business and to experience some of the Rome tours, where she mostly spends her time in search of the perfect gelato.