The most dramatic way to reach Castel Sant’Angelo is by walking across Ponte Sant’Angelo.  I tend to think of it as Bernini‘s bridge even though the bridge itself has elements that date from the obviously much older Roman times.

This exquisite bridge is graced by a series of ten angels, each holding an attribute of the Passion, such as the crown of thorns and Veronica’s Veil. As always, Bernini’s art is full of strength and movement. You sense the angels could actually fly with those massive wings, and you can picture their billowing garments moving in the wind. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bernini himself only carved two of these angels (Angel with the Crown of Thorns and Angel with the Inscription), leaving the rest to his assistants. These two angels are not on the bridge, though copies of them are. Instead, they are just down the street from the Spanish Steps Apartment, in the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte.

This is why my family has always referred to it as the church with Bernini’s statues. Like so many of Rome’s churches, this is one with something remarkable waiting inside for the few people who choose to enter it.