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An angel on Ponte Sant'Angelo with the castle behind

Ponte Sant'Angelo

The bridge leads straight to the castle gate, so you cross it on the way in. The official museum pages don't describe it: what follows comes from Wikipedia, except the Girandola, which the museum announces.

An independent guide: we are not the official website of Castel Sant'Angelo or its ticket office.

Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons

On this page
  1. Hadrian's bridge
  2. Bernini's angels
  3. The Girandola
  4. From the bridge into the castle
  5. Questions and answers

Hadrian's bridge

According to Wikipedia the bridge, originally the Pons Aelius, was completed in 134 AD by the emperor Hadrian to reach his mausoleum, today Castel Sant'Angelo.

Castel Sant'Angelo seen from the Tiber
The castle and the bridge from the Tiber. Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Bernini's angels

According to Wikipedia, in 1669 Pope Clement IX commissioned a new set of statues from Gian Lorenzo Bernini: 10 angels each holding an instrument of the Passion. Bernini himself carved only 2, and those originals are now in the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte; copies stand on the bridge.

The Angel with the Cross on Ponte Sant'Angelo
The Angel with the Cross. Photo: Bely Medved from Madison, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

The Girandola

The Girandola is a fireworks show launched from Castel Sant'Angelo, documented since 1481 and linked for centuries to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. On 29 June 2026 it started at 9:30pm.

According to the museum, it can be watched from Lungotevere Tor di Nona and from the Vittorio Emanuele II, Sant'Angelo and Umberto I bridges.

The Girandola fireworks over Castel Sant'Angelo
The Girandola over the castle. Photo: Archeologo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

From the bridge into the castle

The castle entrance is at the end of the bridge, on the Lungotevere Castello. Opening hours, tickets and the terrace view over the bridge are on the guide's other pages: tickets, opening hours, what to see.

Questions and answers

Do you need a ticket for Ponte Sant'Angelo?

No. The bridge is a public street; only the castle has a ticket.

Who made the angels on Ponte Sant'Angelo?

According to Wikipedia, the 10 angels follow Bernini's design of 1669; Bernini carved 2 originals, now in Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.

Where can I watch the Girandola?

From Lungotevere Tor di Nona and from the Vittorio Emanuele II, Sant'Angelo and Umberto I bridges, according to the museum.

Where our information comes from

Castel Sant'Angelo entry from €22
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