Tours to Italy

Built in 27-25 BC by the Roman Emperor Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, the Pantheon is perhaps the best preserved of all ancient Roman buildings in the world today. According to historians, the original Pantheon was dedicated to seven deities of the seven planets, under the ancient state religion of Rome. It was destroyed in the great fire of 80 AD, and later reconstructed by Emperor Hadrian in a far more elaborate style than before. Later in 202 AD, it was completely renovated by Septimius Severus and Caracalla.

The Pantheon was converted into a Christian church in 609 AD, which saved it from total abandonment and destruction. Today, the Pantheon of Rome is regarded as one of the most spiritual buildings of the world.

The Pantheon in Rome is world-renowned for its size, its construction, and its design. It's a circular structure with a great concrete dome rising from the walls and with a front porch of huge granite Corinthian columns supporting a gabled roof with triangular pediment. The "Great Eye, " or oculus opening at the center of the dome measures 8 meters (27 ft) in size, and is the primary source of air and natural light to building. Beneath the porch are 7 meters (24 ft) high and huge bronze double doors. Its dome is one of the largest ever built in the world, measuring approx. 43.4 meters in diameter and rising to a height of 22 meters (71 feet) above its base. There is no external evidence of brick arch support inside the dome, except in the lowest part, and the exact method of construction has never been determined.

Though the Pantheon appear simple from the outside, its interior are decorated with colored marbles and the walls are marked by seven deep recesses, screened by pairs of columns whose modest size gives scale to the immensity of the rotunda. Its pediment was once decorated with a sculpture in bronze showing the Battle of the Titans, but now remians only the holes where the clamps that held the sculpture in place were fixed. The Pantheon houses the tombs of several famous personalities of Italy, inclduing world-renowned painters Raphael and Annibale Caracci, the architect Baldassare Peruzzi, and emperors Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, and Queen Margherita. The Pantheon in Rome is considered one of the oldest well-preserved structures in the world with its original roof intact. It's perhaps the greatest masterpiece of ancient Roman architecture, and is a must see tourist attraction in Italy.

Sightseeing in Italy

Leaning Tower of Pisa Colosseum Duomo Pantheon Piazza San Marco Uffizi Gallery Florence Grand Canal Venice Vatican Museum Pompeii Tours