on top of walls originally put up by Pope Leo IV in 847-851 to protect the Vatican from Saracens who had sailed their warships as far as the mouth of the Tiber and swept in to sack the city.

But he met a sticky end - stabbed to death by his own cousin after an argument over a woman. Pope Leo X had more exotic tastes. Famed for his extravagant lifestyle, he was entertained by young ...