A Guide to Rome's Pantheon
http://www.webstercontent.com/articles/72388/1/A-Guide-to-Rome039s-Pantheon/Page1.html
Ken Sand
Is your budget tight? It's allright. For more tips on where to drink cheap in Madrid, visit <a href="http://www.dirtcheapmadrid.com" title="http://www.dirtcheapmadrid.com" target="_blank">http://www.dirtcheapmadrid.com</a> By Ken Sand
Published on 11/30/2008
Are you visiting Rome The city has many attractions
Are you visiting Rome? The city has many attractions. Vatican city, Colosseum, Stadio Olimpico, crusty thin pizza and many others. My personal favorite, and maybe the biggest attraction of them all is the Pantheon.
So you’re just wandering through the twisty mediaeval streets of the centro storico (historical center), and as if the cobblestones and ivy weren’t enough, you turn the corner, and out of nowhere is this massive temple. That’s Rome for you.
The best preserved ancient structure in the city, the Pantheon as you see it now was built under Hadrian between AD 120-128 circa, although the pediment above the portico is actually 100 years older and signed by Agrippa (which did in fact confuse archaeologists and historians for years). The round temple, or rotunda, was built to honour the 12 most important classical gods and goddesses.
Of the 16 granite columns in front, all but three are original, as are most of the marble-decorated walls. Sunlight pours in through the oculous, a gaping hole with an 9-meter diameter and lights up the place in a dreamy kind of way—quite suited for a godly house. What happens when it rains? A discreet and complex drainage system in the floor whisks away the water, but there is a good bit of towelling up after a deluge.
In the 608, the Pantheon was converted to a Christian church when Byzantine Emperor Phocas offered it to the Pope as a gift. While it is now officially Saint Mary of the Martyrs, the Pantheon will always be the Pantheon.
Inside are the tombs of several worthy Italians, including Raphael and Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II, great unifier of Italy, and his son Umberto I. The structure was sacked relatively little with respect to the rest of the city, although ironically, in 1628, Pope Urban allowed Bernini to strip the bronze from the Portico and melt it down for his Baldacchio above the alter of Saint Peter’s.
To sum up, why should you go visit the Pantheon? The dome of the Pantheon is the largest widest masonry dome in Europe (as tall as it is wide) and just barely trumps the dome of Saint Peter’s.
OK. I'm sold, Where in Rome is it? The Pantheon is located at Piazza della Rotonda. The entry is free, but you are also free to make donations. The best way to get there is by public transport. Taxis are unreliable and slightly more expensive than metro or bus. The most ideal way to travel to the Pantheon is by bus. The buses 30, 40 and 46 all go there, or alternatively, you can also take any buses that are headed to Largo Argentina and hop off on the way.
A word of advice after you've finished visiting the Pantheon. Do not sit down in the bars or restaurants outside for a drink or something to eat. The food and drinks are extremely expensive, and the quality of what you are served is sub-average at best. It is much better to walk a bit away from the attraction and find a cozy little place to have a value for money snack or drink.
So you’re just wandering through the twisty mediaeval streets of the centro storico (historical center), and as if the cobblestones and ivy weren’t enough, you turn the corner, and out of nowhere is this massive temple. That’s Rome for you.
The best preserved ancient structure in the city, the Pantheon as you see it now was built under Hadrian between AD 120-128 circa, although the pediment above the portico is actually 100 years older and signed by Agrippa (which did in fact confuse archaeologists and historians for years). The round temple, or rotunda, was built to honour the 12 most important classical gods and goddesses.
Of the 16 granite columns in front, all but three are original, as are most of the marble-decorated walls. Sunlight pours in through the oculous, a gaping hole with an 9-meter diameter and lights up the place in a dreamy kind of way—quite suited for a godly house. What happens when it rains? A discreet and complex drainage system in the floor whisks away the water, but there is a good bit of towelling up after a deluge.
In the 608, the Pantheon was converted to a Christian church when Byzantine Emperor Phocas offered it to the Pope as a gift. While it is now officially Saint Mary of the Martyrs, the Pantheon will always be the Pantheon.
Inside are the tombs of several worthy Italians, including Raphael and Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II, great unifier of Italy, and his son Umberto I. The structure was sacked relatively little with respect to the rest of the city, although ironically, in 1628, Pope Urban allowed Bernini to strip the bronze from the Portico and melt it down for his Baldacchio above the alter of Saint Peter’s.
To sum up, why should you go visit the Pantheon? The dome of the Pantheon is the largest widest masonry dome in Europe (as tall as it is wide) and just barely trumps the dome of Saint Peter’s.
OK. I'm sold, Where in Rome is it? The Pantheon is located at Piazza della Rotonda. The entry is free, but you are also free to make donations. The best way to get there is by public transport. Taxis are unreliable and slightly more expensive than metro or bus. The most ideal way to travel to the Pantheon is by bus. The buses 30, 40 and 46 all go there, or alternatively, you can also take any buses that are headed to Largo Argentina and hop off on the way.
A word of advice after you've finished visiting the Pantheon. Do not sit down in the bars or restaurants outside for a drink or something to eat. The food and drinks are extremely expensive, and the quality of what you are served is sub-average at best. It is much better to walk a bit away from the attraction and find a cozy little place to have a value for money snack or drink.