Which bridge in Rome, originally built as Pons Aelius, leads to Castel Sant'Angelo?

Ponte Sant’Angelo is the Rome bridge originally built as Pons Aelius that leads to Castel Sant’Angelo.

Emperor Hadrian commissioned the bridge in 134 AD to connect the Campus Martius with his mausoleum, now known as Castel Sant’Angelo. It crosses the Tiber and originally provided a ceremonial approach to the emperor’s tomb.

The bridge was renamed Ponte Sant’Angelo in the Middle Ages, when the mausoleum became associated with the archangel Michael. According to tradition, an angel appeared above the fortress during a sixth-century plague, leading to the building’s Christian name.

The bridge is especially known for its ten statues of angels designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his workshop. The statues were added in the seventeenth century, replacing earlier decoration. It is sometimes confused with nearby Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, but Ponte Sant’Angelo is the historic bridge directly aligned with Castel Sant’Angelo.