Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved buildings from ancient Rome. It began as a temple, and since 609 it has been a Catholic church, Santa Maria ad Martyres. The building seen today was ordered by Emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated around AD 126. The front still carries Agrippa’s older inscription, which is why the name on the façade looks older than the structure behind it. Look at the entrance porch with its tall Corinthian columns, then the huge round rotunda behind it. Inside, the dome is famous for its central opening, the oculus. The diameter of the interior and the height up to the oculus are both about 43 meters, a detail that makes the space feel perfectly balanced. The Pantheon is also a place of tombs and memory. Raphael is buried here, along with other major figures, and later it became the burial place for kings of Italy such as Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I. Step back into Piazza della Rotonda to take in the scene around the entrance. In the middle of the square is the Fontana del Pantheon. It was designed in 1575 by Giacomo della Porta, and in 1711 it was updated with the Macuteo obelisk set at the center. All around are tight streets, small hotels, and busy cafés that make this one of the liveliest corners of the historic center. A short walk away is Piazza della Minerva, with Bernini’s Elephant and Obelisk beside Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Another easy nearby landmark is Piazza di Pietra, where eleven columns from the Temple of Hadrian still stand as part of the modern street scene.