Wednesday, June 8, 2011

ROMA: DAY 3 THE PANTHEON

The Pantheon building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft).It is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda"; the square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda.

(source)

We decided to take a quick stroll over to see this building after visiting the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit and the open air market in the Campo Dei Fiori Piazza. We found this neighborhood to be one of the least expensive in all of Rome. I highly recommend for anyone that is planning on visiting Rome to find a hotel near this neighborhood. Not only is it more cost effective, it is almost centrally located to everything you would want to see while in Rome.

Did I mention that Rome is a city buzzing with scooters






I really loved these dragon wall sconces we noticed on our way back to our hotel

No comments:

Post a Comment