Things to do near Castel Sant'Angelo

The bridge that has framed the approach to the castle since 134 AD. Built by Emperor Hadrian to connect the city centre with his mausoleum, it kept its central three Roman arches and gained ten Baroque angel statues designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1669, each holding an instrument of the Passion. Bernini personally sculpted only two of the originals — the Angel with the Superscription and the Angel with the Crown of Thorns — which were considered too beautiful to leave outdoors and now sit in the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte. The replacements on the bridge are by his pupils. Pedestrian-only and free, the bridge offers the most photographed view of Castel Sant'Angelo. The full restoration completed for the 2025 Jubilee left the travertine looking close to its 19th-century state.

Practical: Pedestrian-only · No tickets needed · Open 24 hours · Best light at sunset and after dark when illuminated.

The largest church in the world and the spiritual heart of Catholicism, designed across more than a century by Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno and Bernini. The basilica is free to enter, but expect a 30 to 90-minute security queue at peak hours. Inside: Michelangelo's Pietà (1499) is on the right as you enter, behind glass since the 1972 attack; Bernini's bronze baldacchino sits above the papal altar; the papal tombs are in the Vatican Grottoes below. The dome climb (extra ticket) gives the best aerial view of Rome short of a helicopter. The basilica alone takes a full afternoon — leave the Vatican Museums for a separate day.

Practical: Basilica free · Dome climb €8 stairs / €10 with elevator · Open daily 7:00 AM–7:00 PM (winter until 6:30 PM) · Modest dress required (covered shoulders and knees) · Tight security — no large bags.

The best-preserved building from ancient Rome, completed under Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD on the site of an earlier temple by Marcus Agrippa (whose inscription remains on the pediment). The dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome — a feat that took nineteen centuries to surpass. The oculus, the 9-metre opening at the dome's centre, is the only source of natural light and remains open to the sky in all weather; on rainy days, the slightly convex floor channels water through 22 small drains. Converted to a Christian church in 609 AD, which is what saved it from the systematic stripping that destroyed most other Roman monuments. The square outside, Piazza della Rotonda, has a fountain by Giacomo della Porta (1575) topped by an Egyptian obelisk added in 1711.

Practical: €5 entry (free for EU residents under 18 and over 65) · Open Mon–Sat 9:00 AM–7:00 PM, Sun 9:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free admission during Sunday mass · Booking online recommended to skip the queue.

Rome's most theatrical square, built on the foundations of Domitian's Stadium from 86 AD — the elongated oval shape preserves the original racetrack outline. Three fountains anchor the piazza: Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) at the centre, with personifications of the Nile, Danube, Ganges and Río de la Plata around an Egyptian obelisk; the Fountain of the Moor (Della Porta, modified by Bernini) at the south end; and the Fountain of Neptune at the north end. The Baroque church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, by Bernini's rival Borromini, faces the central fountain. Free to walk through, lively at all hours, packed with street artists, restaurants, and the predictable tourist crowd. The walk to Piazza Navona from the castle takes you through Via dei Coronari, one of the prettiest pedestrian streets in central Rome.

Practical: Open square, no tickets · Best in the early morning before crowds, or after dark when the fountains are lit · Restaurants on the square charge a heavy premium for the location.

The square that frames the Pantheon, named for the temple's circular shape. The fountain at its centre, designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1575, was modified in 1711 by Pope Clement XI to support an Egyptian obelisk — the Macuteo obelisk, originally from the Iseum Campense in Rome — which still tops it today. The piazza is one of the few places in central Rome where you can sit at a cafe and watch one of the great Roman monuments without paying museum prices, although the cafes themselves charge a steep premium for the view. Worth pausing here for the perspective the square offers on the Pantheon's portico, which most visitors miss while rushing inside.

Practical: Open square · No tickets · Best in the late afternoon when the Pantheon facade catches warm light · Cafes on the square are tourist-priced — walk one block away for normal Roman cafe prices.

Inaugurated in 1911 to mark the 50th anniversary of Italian unification, this is the bridge most photographers use to capture the classic postcard shot: Castel Sant'Angelo in the foreground, the dome of St Peter's rising behind it. Three travertine arches, large winged Victories at each end, and bronze sculptural groups representing the political virtues of the Italian state. The bridge appears in dozens of films set in Rome, most famously in Roman Holiday (1953). Worth the short detour from Ponte Sant'Angelo for the angle alone.

Practical: Pedestrian and vehicle bridge · Sidewalks on both sides · Best photo angle from the south side, looking north toward the castle.

The most evocative pedestrian street between the castle and the Vatican, lined with low ochre buildings, small trattorias, religious supply shops, and the kind of traffic-free quiet that disappeared from most of central Rome decades ago. Walking Borgo Pio is the slow way to reach St Peter's from Castel Sant'Angelo — it adds maybe ten minutes versus the direct route along Via della Conciliazione, and it shows you a side of papal Rome that the wider boulevard erased. Two of our recommended restaurants (Borghiciana and Rione XIV Bistrot) sit on this street.

Practical: Pedestrian-only · Best mid-morning or early evening for the local atmosphere · Avoid Sundays when many shops close.