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~ …… (oon∙poh∙dee∙PEH∙peh) Cristina writes about interesting stuff /Cristina scrive di cose interessanti

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Tag Archives: Pantheon

Il Pantheon

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Architecture, Art history, Italia, Photography, Roma

≈ 14 Comments

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Ancient Roma, Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda

Piazzadellarotonda500 years ago, Michelangelo entered the Pantheon and stated that it looked more like the work of angels than humans. The Pantheon is an architectural masterpiece and the most well-preserved building from Ancient Rome.  This is probably because it has been in continuous use since it was built.  The original use of the Pantheon is not known.  Many think it was a temple to all the gods, since ‘Pan-theos’ is Greek for ‘all gods’, although Ancient Roman temples were dedicated to single gods.  ‘Pan-theos’ might also refer to the heavens, the territory of the gods.  According to legend the site is where Romulus, the founder of Roma ascended to the heavens.  IlPantheonMarcus Agrippa, Augustus’ commander in chief built the original Pantheon on his own land, so it may have been a private building.  This building burned down in 80 AD and then was struck by lightning and burned again in 110 AD! The Pantheon standing today was completed around 126 AD by Emperor Hadrian.  He kept the original inscription under the pediment ‘M.Agrippa.L.F.Costertium.Fecit’ (Made by Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius in his third time as Consul) which caused confusion about the construction date.  The Pantheon was given to the Pope in 609, and it has been the Church of Santa Maria dei Martiri ever since, but it is usually still called the Pantheon.Pantheonfontana

From the outside, the Pantheon looks like a Greek temple. It is actually a round building (rotunda) with a portico of eight 12m (39 ft) high granite Corinthian columns up front and 8 more in behind. These columns are each a single 60 ton piece of stone quarried in Egypt.  Imagine the journey these huge stones made to get here….they were dragged through the desert, barged down the Nile to Alexandria, shipped across the Mediterranean to the port of Ostia, barged down the Tevere to Roma and then hauled overland to the site of the Pantheon!Pantheon oculus

Enter into the Pantheon and it is immediately clear what Michelangelo meant. Overhead is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world-still after almost 2,000 years! The Romans invented concrete, using a mixture of volcanic ash and soil from Pozzuoli, lime and rocks, but they did not have rebar, so this is amazing! The 8 m wide hole in the roof is the oculus and the shaft of light coming in from the sun moves slowly throughout the day like a sun-dial.  When looking up, the dome feels like it could rotate. The oculus and front door are the Pantheon’s only sources of natural light.  Concrete walls 6m (20 ft) thick support the dome, which is 6m thick at its base but narrows to 1.2m (3.9 ft) around the oculus.  Lighter materials, such as tufa, pumice and even broken terra cotta pots were used towards the top to further lighten the load.  The oculus also lightens the load at the very top, acting as a compression ring where the roof would be its weakest. Rainwater coming in through the oculus is drained off through holes and a drainage system under the slanted marble floor.

Is it a mask for Carnevale? No, these are drainage holes in the floor right below the oculus!

Is it a mask for Carnevale? No, these are drainage holes in the floor right below the oculus!

The height of the oculus is 43.3m (150 Roman feet) and the diameter of the building is also 43.3m. A perfect 43.3m sphere would fit inside the building. For another visual, if the dome was flipped upside down, it would fit perfectly inside the rotunda.

The perfect mathematical proportions of the Pantheon invoke harmony and symbolize the earth and the heavens. The Pantheon has provided inspiration to architects including Brunelleschi and Michelangelo for almost 2,000 years.  Public buildings throughout the world are modelled on the Pantheon’s ‘portico and dome’ design.Pantheonchapel

In the 17 the Century, the Barberini Pope Urbano VII removed the bronze ceiling from the portico and melted it down to make cannons for Castel Sant’Angelo. The outrage prompted the saying ‘Quello che non hanno fatto i barberi hanno fatto i Barberini’ (What the barbarians didn’t do, the Barberini did), implying that the Pantheon had survived numerous barbarian invasions, only to be looted by the Barberini family. In addition to functioning as a Classical Masterpiece and a Church, many notable Italiani are buried in the Pantheon.  Some of these include Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto II and his wife Margherita di Savoia, Rafaelle Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael) and his fiancée Maria Bibbiena.

Il Pantheon from Il Vittoriano

Il Pantheon from Il Vittoriano

‘La Pioggia delle Rose al Pantheon’ (the rain of roses) is on my list of things to see. This takes place on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter.  At noon, right after Mass, Roma’s Vigili del Fuoco (fire fighters) climb to the top of the dome and drop thousands of rose petals through the oculus as choirs sing.  The rose petals symbolize the Holy Spirit coming down to earth.  Even Michelangelo would be impressed!

The dome and oculus, viewed from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve

The dome and oculus, viewed from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve

Il Pantheon from Piazza de la Minerva

Il Pantheon from Piazza de la Minerva

Il Pantheon is also featured in my post ‘Un Giorno a Roma’.

©2016 http://www.unpodipepe.ca

 

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Un Giorno a Roma

15 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Roma, Travel, Travel tips

≈ 10 Comments

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Bernini, Caravaggio, Colosseo, Elefantino, Fontana di Trevi, Il Vittoriano, Italia, La Barcaccia, Pantheon, Roma, Roma photography, Roma walking tour, Roman Forum, San Luigi dei Francesi, Tazza d'oro

TreviRoma truly is ‘la Città Eterna’-the eternal city! I usually fly in and out of Roma then take the train to Foggia on my way to Orsara di Puglia. I often have one full day in the city at the beginning or end of my trip. When i’m in Roma for just 1 day, I have a usual ‘itinerary’. I do not actually recommend anyone go to Roma for just one day, especially for the first time. 5 days will do but more is better.  One day only gives you enough time to visit a few sites, so it is mostly an entire day of exploring the city on foot. The sites I choose to visit change a bit each time, but the route is basically the same.

I stay with a friend in the Basilica San Paolo area so I take the Metro blue line to the Colosseo stop, exit the station and take a few minutes to absorb the view across the street.

The view across the street from the 'Colosseo' metro stop!

The view across the street from the ‘Colosseo’ metro stop!

Then I turn right and walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali.  If you visit Il Colosseo, the ticket includes entry to the Forum, so you can walk through there.  Visiting these 2 awesome sites will take all morning, so they are not usually part of my ‘1 day’ itinerary.

View of the Roman Forum (Foro Romano)

View of the Roman Forum (Foro Romano)

Old meets new at the Foro Romano

Old meets new at the Foro Romano

I walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali all the way to Piazza Venezia and Il Vittoriano, which is the neo-classical monument that looks like a giant wedding cake .

Il Vittoriano

Il Vittoriano

If you want some great views of Roma and are not afraid of heights, you can take the glass elevator to the rooftop terrace.

'Roma dal cielo' view from the roof of Il Vittoriano

‘Roma dal cielo’ view from the roof of Il Vittoriano

Then I turn right again and cross Piazza Venezia, which can be a bit of a challenge, and walk along Via del Corso. Via del Corso is lined with shops and goes all the way to Piazza del Popolo.

Crossing the street can be challenging! Photo taken by Vito!

Crossing the street can be challenging! Photo taken by Vito!

I turn into one of the side streets on the left and walk to the Pantheon-the domed architectural masterpiece that is absolutely not to be missed! The 2000 year old roof is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. IlPantheon

Across the street I have an incredible granita di caffè at Tazza d’Oro.

Tazza d'Oro, Via degli Orfani 84

Tazza d’Oro, Via degli Orfani 84

Granita di caffe

Granita di caffe

Behind the Pantheon is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva with Bernini’s adorable ‘elefantino’ sculpture in the piazza.  I sometimes like to sit and sketch the pudgy little elephant carrying a 5m Egyptian obelisk on its back.

Bernini's elefantino in Piazza Minerva. Behind the obelisk, you can see the domed roof of the Pantheon.

Bernini’s elefantino in Piazza Minerva. Behind the obelisk, you can see the domed roof of the Pantheon.

The molto fancy ‘Grande Hotel de la Minerve’ across from the church has a roof bar with incredible views. Down a side street – Via del Gesù- is Poggi art supplies www.poggi1825.it , so of course I have to stop there and drool at all the stuff I can’t carry home. I also pop into the little Baroque gem San Luigi dei Francesi, which is the National church of France in Roma. It has 3 incredible Caravaggio paintings-the ‘San Matteo’ cycle, in the Capella Contarelli which you can see for free! No lineups, no online bookings!  I always put a coin in the box and light a candle when I visit a church.

I walk down some side streets and get back onto Via del Corso going left.  A few blocks down I cross the street and walk to the Fontana di Trevi to toss in my coin. I am very superstitious about this, so I have to do the coin toss or I’m afraid I might not come back to Roma!  That would be awful! Fontanaditrevi

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana di Trevi

I look at all the tourists then head to my last stop- Piazza di Spagna. I never miss drinking from the Fontana della Barcaccia.  This is the Baroque fountain at the bottom of the steps that looks like a sinking ship. It was sculpted by both Bernini, Pietro and Gianlorenzo (father and son).  La Barcaccia has the best water ever, especially on a hot day –it comes straight from an acqueduct and is always ice cold.

La Barcaccia, Piazza di Spagna

La Barcaccia, Piazza di Spagna

Mmmm! Acqua freddissima!

Mmmm! Acqua freddissima!

From here I usually walk all the way back to the Colosseo metro stop to take the metro back home to San Paolo and pick up take-out suppli on the way. If I am too tired or have evening plans, I take the metro at Piazza di Spagna (red line) to Stazione Termini then change to the blue line for San Paolo.

Ci vediamo a Roma!

Handy signs at Piazza del Popolo

Handy signs at Piazza del Popolo

PS Stay tuned for future posts on things I like to do if I have more than one day in Roma:

  • Go to a Miracle Players performance at the Forum on Friday evenings in the summer
  • Spend the day at the Vatican
  • Trastevere at night
  • Centrale Montemartini
  • Palazzo Massimo
  • Sketching at Piazza Navona
  • Visit more Caravaggio paintings for free at Santa Maria del Popolo
  • Go to Mass sung by cloistered nuns at Santa Brigida near Piazza Farnese

©2014 unpodipepe.ca

Piccoli gladiatori! Beware of fierce gladiators in training!

Piccoli gladiatori! Beware of fierce gladiators in training!

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