Many tourist spots are within walking distance of Piazza Spagna or Piazza Navona, including the Pantheon, Vittoriano, and Castel Sant Angelo. And the metro has stops nearby them as well. We stayed near Piazza Spagna so we walked to this trio of sites, just not all in the same day. 

Pantheon – Originally a pagan temple, the Pantheon has been a Catholic Church since 609 AD. And even now mass is held here every Sunday. The round building we saw is technically the third Pantheon. The first two, built in 27 BC and about 90 AD, burned down. And this one has survived several fires since it was constructed in 125 AD. The large inscription on the front of the building is the same as on the original temple. We were impressed with the massiveness of the granite columns, each weighing 60 tons and almost 13 meters tall, that support the porch. Two Greek words were combined to create the building’s name: pan, meaning everything, and theon, meaning divine. 

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Marble artisans created a geometric pattern on the floor and walls. And gold highlights the smaller half domes and altars. We found the statues and plaques for several well-known individuals buried inside the church, including Raphael, Renaissance painter, and Vittoria Emanuel II, the first king of Italy since the 6th century.

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Like many tourists entering the Pantheon, we almost immediately looked upwards to see the huge dome that displays architectural expertise and symmetry. It is the single largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, spreading 43 meters in diameter and larger than the impressive dome at St. Peter’s Basilica. The only light for the church comes through the 8 meter opening at the top of the dome. There is no cover that moves over the oculus on rainy days. So yes, sometimes precipitation comes into the church. The thickness of the roof decreases as the dome reaches 43 meters in height at the oculus. This makes the dome appear flat on the outside of the building, but still spherical when viewed from the inside. We didn’t think about that fact until days later when we learned more about the Pantheon and also looked more closely at our photos.

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Vittoriano – This beautiful national monument dominates the landscape between Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. Built from bright white marble from northern Italy, the Vittoriano was created in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. The monument was not on our original “to visit” list for Rome. But, we saw it as we walked back to our apartment from eating delicious desserts at a tiramisu shop and, fortunately, decided to take a closer look at the monument. (More about the sweets shop in a separate post.)

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Castel Sant Angelo – Originally built by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family, the castle construction began in 135 AD. Since that time the building has been used as a military fortress and prison. Now it is a museum. We are not huge museum fans, so we just admired the exterior of the castle and surrounding park on several different occasions during our time in Rome. We even found the fortified 800 meter stone corridor that connects the castle with the Vatican. It was built in 1277 in case the Pope was in danger and needed to escape his country. Pope Clement VII used Castel Sant Angelo as a refuge during the sieges in Rome in 1527. Several legends have continued through the years as to how and why the statue of Archangel Micheal with his drawn sword stands on the roof.

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The Bridge of Angels, or more correctly known as Ponte Sant Angelo, includes 10 marble angels created in the late 17th century. Each angel standing over the Tiber River symbolizes part of the story of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. About 100 years before the heavenly statues were added to the bridge, it was sometimes used as a place to display bodies of the executed to send a stern warning to the Italians about compliance with the government. Like thousands of Romans and visitors throughout the years, we travelled across the very picturesque bridge quite a few times to visit St. Peter’s Basilica and other nearby sites. 

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