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PANTHEON IN ROME

The original Pantheon was a rectangular temple built as part of a district renewal plan in 27-25 BC by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, son-in-law of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. The enormous dome that dominates the interior is 43.30 meters or 142 feet in diameter. It's still the largest masonry dome in the world. The Pantheon is made perfectly in agreement by the fact that the distance from the floor to the top of the dome is exactly equal to its diameter. Adytons (shrines recessed into the wall) and coffers (sunken panels) skilfully reduce the weight of the dome, as did a lightweight cement made of pumice used in the upper levels.

What tourists see as they relax in front in the Piazza della Rotonda is drastically different than that original temple. Hadrian rebuilt the structure; maker's stamps in the bricks proving restoration to have been between 118 and 125 AD. Still, the inscription on the architrave attributes the construction to Agrippa during his third councilship. The portico in front of the Pantheon is what remains of Agrippa's original temple.

- Where is the Pantheon : Piazza della Rotonda
- How to get to the Pantheon: By underground, the nearest stop is Barberini (linea A) - 450 metres from Pantheon. By bus, you could take n° 30, 40, 62, 64, 81, 87 e 492: their stop is in Largo di Torre Argentina, 400 metres from the Pantheon.