Page 1, 7th September 1990
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by our Rome correspondent THE Vatican this week decided to cede to Italy its ownership of a secret passageway which saved the lives of besieged sixteenth century popes.
For a symbolic rent payable to Italy, the Holy See will retain the first 80 metres of the 800metre-long arched viaduct leading from the papal apartments in the Vatican to the less vulnerable Castel Sant Angelo fortress overlooking the River Tiber.
The agreement settles a 120year dispute over ownership of the viaduct, the Passetto, which extends into Rome city territory.
The issue of the Passetto was considered so complex that even former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini made no mention of it in his punctilious cohabitation treaty with the Vatican in 1929, the Lateran pacts.
It fell into decay as a result and has now been reinforced and traffic diverted from its precarious arches for the public safety.
It is hoped that now the Italian government owns the Passetto vital repair work will begin, and that eventually it will be opened to the public.
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