The Castel Sant’Angelo was an important political landmark in medieval Rome. Whoever controlled it controlled the city. For example, in the 10th century, the powerful Crescentii family used it as a garrison, which allowed them to seize and imprison…

Built upon the ancient tomb of Cecilia Metella, this massive fortress derives its name from the ox-head images that decorate its walls. In the 11th century the fortress was incorporated into a larger walled complex. Later on, in the 14th century,…

According to Richard Krautheimer, by 312 CE, approximately one third of the Roman population was Christian or sympathetic to the Christian cause. This is a powerful statistic that, he argues, defines the early history of the Basilica of San…

This is a typical parish church in the densest settlement in between the river and Via della Lungaretta. It is in a prevailing style with an arcaded narthex extending along the façade, a campanile rises within it. The period of eleventh and twelfth…

“For the better part of the Middle Ages, Rome must have had [a] hedgehog look.”

Hundreds of towers changed and dominated the skyline of Rome in the Middle Ages due to the rise to power of new Roman noble families. Towers were never originally…