Angels & Demons Week: Castel Sant'Angelo

Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!

That's right... tomorrow morning, Angels & Demons, the movie comes out. But even better:

Roaring Forties Press

will publish

Rome's Angels & Demons: the Insider's Guide.

  It's my free ebook with inside information about the art and places in

Dan Brown's book

.  And you will be able to get your FREE copy right here!

I always get excited about giving gifts, so here's one last teaser before the big reveal!

Castel Sant’Angelo is a labyrinth of rooms, chapels, dungeons, and lavish living quarters—all of which are open to the public. The building spirals up into the sky and down into the earth and feels like a rabbit warren after centuries of adaptation and renovation. At several points in history, popes have been forced to flee the Papal Palace through il Passetto, taking shelter in the fortress.

In the split second it took Langdon to take in his surroundings, he realized he was in a sacred place. The embellishments in the oblong room, though old and faded, were replete with familiar symbology. Pentagram tiles. Planet frescoes. Doves. Pyramids.

    The Church of Illumination. Simple and pure. He had arrived. (Chapter 107)

Although the Church of Illumination is fictional, a visitor can easily believe that secret chambers exist in Castel Sant’Angelo, where dark deeds and secret plots have been hatched for centuries. Some Angels & Demons fans are a little disappointed to find that the Hassassin would have had a hard time keeping four cardinals captive in Castel Sant’Angelo—the entire building, including the dungeons and the opening to il Passetto, is open to the public as a museum.

So, what will you get tomorrow?

Well,

Rome's Angels & Demons: an Insider's Guide

is filled with information about the historical figures, churches, artwork, and locations that figure prominently in

Angels & Demons

.  With maps, visitor information, photographs, and in-depth insights, it is a great guide to the city of Rome and the fascinating world Dan Brown has created. It's great for your Kindle -- or any other reader you might have.  Plus, it's formatted so that you can print it and take it with you.

Imagine: you, your honey, sprinting through the streets of Rome... solving cryptic puzzles and preventing murders... I know.  I can see it, too! 

See you tomorrow for the launch party of

Rome's Angels & Demons: an Insider's Guide

, my free guide for book and movie lovers everywhere! 

Plus, I might just have a few other tricks up my sleeve!  Ciao!

Angels & Demons Week: Piazza Navona

The countdown just keeps getting shorter and shorter!  TWO days left now until 

Roaring Forties Press

publishes

Rome's Angels & Demons: an Insider's Guide

-- a free ebook with inside information about the art and places in

Dan Brown's book

.  And you will be able to get your FREE copy right here!

I know.  I am impatient, too.  So, here's a little snippet...

From Santa Maria della Vittoria, Langdon makes his way to Piazza Navona, Rome’s most famous piazza. Piazza Navona has been a gathering place for millennia. During the Roman Empire, a stadium was built on the site; the Stadium of Domitian became Rome’s premier venue for athletic competitions and, later, chariot races. Eventually the stadium fell out of use, and the city grew up around it. But as the popes reshaped Rome in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they turned their sights on the stadium ruins, transforming the area into an elegant piazza.

Bernini’s rival architect, Borromini, built the church on the piazza, Sant’Agnese in Agone. While Borromini was building his church, Bernini was asked to design a fountain for the piazza. He and the craftsmen in his workshop created the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi—the Fountain of the Four Rivers. The statues on the fountain depict four continents and rivers:

  • The horse: Europe and the Danube

  • The palm and the snake: Asia and the Ganges

  • The lion: Africa and the Nile

  • The armadillo: The Americas and the Rio de la Plate

Bernini sculpted only the Danube; the other works were completed by artists in his workshop according to his designs. All the figures in the fountain shield their eyes from the sight of Borromini’s church—perhaps a slight against Bernini’s rival. And luck does not necessarily come to people who throw coins in the Fountain of the Four Rivers—that’s the Trevi Fountain, nearby.

Rome's Angels & Demons: an Insider's Guide

is filled with information about the historical figures, churches, artwork, and locations that figure prominently in

Angels & Demons

.  With maps, visitor information, photographs, and in-depth insights, it is a great guide to the city of Rome and the fascinating world Dan Brown has created. 

Check back here tomorrow for one more peek into

Rome's Angels & Demons

, my free guide for book and movie lovers everywhere!