The Pantheon - A Logistical Guide
Practical Information For The Visitor To Rome

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The Pantheon is the burial place of several important Italians (including the artist Raphael), and it remains an active church. It is a major tourist destination and a popular place for weddings.

The Pantheon is widely noted for its architecture and concept of space. At 43m (142 ft) wide and 43m (142 ft) high, it is a perfect sphere resting in a cylinder.
The Pantheon's huge dome is a perfect hemisphere of cast concrete, resting on a solid ring wall. Outside, the dome is covered in almost weightless cantilevered brick. With a span of 43.2 m (142 feet), it was the largest dome in the world until Brunelleschi's dome in Florence of 1420-36.

The oculus, the only source of natural light in the Pantheon, is a round opening in the centre of the dome. It is 27 feet in diameter and open to the sky (the floor is gently sloped to allow for runoff of rainwater).

The main altar of the church is opposite the entrance, and the original 7th-century icon of the Madonna and Child can be seen above it. Monumental tombs are set into the walls of Pantheon, including that of the artist Raphael (on the left side as you enter).

In the plaza (Piazza
della Rotunda) outside the Pantheon is a lovely fountain topped by an ancient Egyptian obelisk. The obelisk and its base were erected by Pope Clement XI.

Getting to the Pantheon
The Pantheon is in the heart of the city centre not far from the Piazza Venezia, the main hub of the Rome city centre bus routes as they negotiate the oldest part of the city.The Largo Argentina bus and tram stops are just a couple of minutes away too. The nearest metro station, Spagna, is at least a 15 minute walk, but is an excursion in itself as Spagna is by the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain is on the way.