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The Pantheon

The mighty Pantheon – built in 27 B.C. – is the best preserved structure from the Roman era. In later centuries, the temple was used as a cemetery. 19th-century Italian kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I were buried here, as well as painter Raphael. Later the Pantheon was transformed into a church.

Arts & Culture

The Pantheon dome

Melted to build cannons

The one thing that didn’t survive the centuries, however, is the Pantheon’s bronze roof. Pope Urbanus VIII had the bronze melted to create a canopy for Peter’s grave in St. Peter’s Basilica and cannons for the Castel Sant'Angelo. The large domed roof of the Pantheon is a fascinating phenomenon and a real masterpiece. In later days architects wondered how it was possible that the dome of non-reinforced concrete didn’t collapse under its own weight.

Sunlight pours in through the hole in the dome

Hole in the roof

It was only much later in 1434 that Italian architect Brunelleschi was able to design a similar dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The secret of the Pantheon lies in its walls that gradually thin out towards the top. To reduce the weight, the architect added square recesses (cassettes). Finally there is a hole in the top to give the dome some room to move. So although sometimes it rains inside, sunlight is able to penetrate the Pantheon and light up its stunning interior.

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Arts & Culture

Culinary

Arts & Culture

If you have always wanted to know what an actual Roman villa was like 2000 years ago, then head for Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. This new yet antique attraction was only discovered in 2007 and provides a unique insight into the life of the ancient Romans. Instead of musty ruins, the site offers amazing multimedia projections that bring the villas back to their former glory.

Arts & Culture

Villa Borghese, Rome’s largest park, is the perfect place to escape the busy city. Between the footpaths and flowerbeds you’ll find sculptures, fountains and temples. Most people visit the park for its 3 museums: the Galleria Borghese, the Museo Nazionale Etrusco and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna. No wonder it is also known as museum park!

Culinary

Whatever the season: Italians love their gelato (ice-cream). This cold delicacy is sold on almost every corner. Although there really is no ‘bad’ ice-cream anywhere in Italy, some parlours are just a step above the rest. Surprising fact: the prettiest gelato is not always the best!

Culinary

The picturesque streets in the district of Trastevere are flanked by tables and terraces on both sides. Hidden in a jumble of narrow, paved alleys you’ll find a wealth of romantic restaurants and cosy cafés. A walk through the historic neighbourhood is a truly wonderful cultural and culinary experience.

Arts & Culture

Surrealism and metaphysical painting are probably not the first art movements that you associate with Rome. Even so, one of the great masters of these styles lived for a long time in the Italian capital. Giorgio de Chirico spent the last 30 years of his life on the Piazza di Spagna and his former apartment is now a museum.

Culinary

The aperitivo used to be a simple drink consumed before dinner, accompanied by some nuts or olives. While this is often still the case, in the trendiest neighbourhoods of Rome the aperitivo is now the pride of many restaurants and bars that serve the best wines with gastronomic snacks. You often end up eating so much that you can just skip dinner!

Arts & Culture

When you think of romantic Rome, mysterious corridors and old crypts may not be the first thing that come to mind. Just outside the city are the Catacombs of Rome, a network of underground cemeteries dug in the second century AD. The most impressive are the Catacombs of St Callixtus, where 16 popes and some 30 martyrs are buried.

Arts & Culture

The Coliseum is Rome’s most famous and perhaps most impressive structure. This enormous Roman amphitheatre, commissioned by Emperor Vespanian, was built from concrete, peat and brick and accommodated more than 50,000 spectators. An army of slaves from the Jewish-Roman War took a total of 8 years, from 72 to 80 A.D. to build the 50-metre-high ‘il Colosseo’.

Arts & Culture

In 1730, Pope Clemens XII commissioned a competition to design a fountain; there were no rules or necessary requirements. The winner was Nicola Salvi with his enormous but beautiful design of a fountain with the sea god Neptune. Construction began in 1732 but sadly Salvi never saw the completion of his creation; the world-famous Trevi Fountain was only concluded in 1762, 11 years after his death.

Arts & Culture

A trip to Rome is not complete without a visit to the Vatican City. Measuring just under 44 hectares, the Vatican is the smallest country in the world. The religious centre of the Roman-Catholic Church is a separate state that doesn’t require a passport to enter. The residence of the Pope draws millions of pilgrims and visitors a year and only counts 800 official residents.

Arts & Culture

The Forum Romanum is one of the highlights of Rome. At first glance it seems no more than a pile of stones, arches, pillars and sculptures, but appearances are deceiving: this was the heart of Rome in its glory days.