The Pantheon
Once you've spent some time in Rome, many of the better-known sights (like the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain or Piazza Navona), begin to lose their shine. They become symbols not of Rome but of the masses of tourists who block up the streets and get in the way. However, there's something magical about the Pantheon, which keeps its fascination for even the most jaded local.
The Pantheon was built by Hadrian in 125 AD, on the site of an earlier building which has burned down (the inscription on the Portico, which credits Marcus Agrippa with the construction, is a reference to that earlier buidling). Originally a temple to the Roman gods, it was converted into a Christian church by Boniface IV in the early 7th century. Since then it has also been known by the name Santa Maria ad Martyres.
Things to See
The experience of first walking into the Pantheon is a remarkable one. It's a beautiful building, constructed on precise lines of geometry. The dome is a hemisphere, 43 metres wide, which at its highest point reaches a height of 43 metres from the ground, meaning that were the sphere to be completed, it would fit exactly into the remaining space. At the centre of the dome is an eight meter hole, or oculus, which opens the building up to the heavens. (There are small holes in the marble floor to drain away any rainwater).
Several people are buried in the Pantheon, including the Italian kings Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I and the painter Raphael.
Getting There
The Pantheon is easily reachable on foot, lying in the maze of streets betwen Piazza Navona and the Trevi fountain. There are plenty of signposts.
The Pantheon Webcam
There's a Pantheon Webcam (click the link to see it). It's been a bit flakey in the past but they've improved it: you can even change the direction of the camera.
