When Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon in 120 A.D., he wanted it to last a while. And
last it did, remaining the largest dome on Earth until the Rennaissance, and after that influencing countless artists and architects across the globe. It is stunningly preserved and is one of the best places in Rome to pretend you’ve time-traveled.
Click here for previous chapters of “A Week in Rome.”
Finding the Pantheon on your first day in Rome can be a challenge, as the streets of the Old City twist and turn with a logic that takes at least three days to sink in. Along the way you’ll feel like an explorer journeying through the ever-turning narrow streets:
And you’d be best to watch out for the Vespas, scooters that seem to have the right-of way everywhere and often travel at speeds considered unreasonable under the laws of physics:
But at some point, you’ll turn a narrow corner, and you’ll see great columns on a piazza. The Pantheon.
Inside, the 2000 year old dome is very impressive, and completely intact.
Now a church, the inside of the temple is decorated with Rennaissance art.
Also on the Piazza is a lovely fountain.
All is not pristine, however. What’s wrong with this picture?
At night, Rome transforms. It’s like seeing two different cities. Because Roman life restarts at 6:00, you get more vacation time for your money than in many American cities, which can sometimes shut up like a drum at 5:00. The fountain takes on a new personality at night.
And the Pantheon looks more mysterious.
As we leave, we wander through the narrow streets again, past the many flower vendors to find a bus (many run every 5 minutes) to take us back to our temporary home.
Table of Contents
The Colosseum
Palatine Hill
The Forum
The Pantheon
The Vatican
St. Peter in Chains
Imperial Lion
St. Peter’s Square and Basilica
Atop St. Peter’s Dome
Castel Sant’ Angelo (Pope hideaway on the Tiber River)
Day Trip to Florence
Castel Sant’ Angelo, Continued
St. Paul’s Outside the Walls (Vatican church in Rome’s Suburbs)
Great Fountains of Rome
Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museum): Romulus and Remus and Random Body Parts
Victor Emmanuel Monument (VE Monument)
National Museum of Rome: A Treasure Vault and Lots of Heads
Wrap-Up-The-First – Summary of the Trip
Wrap-Up-The-Last – Final Summary of the Trip