Rome: The Pantheon

August 2009

In many ways, the Pantheon represents what Rome is all about: a city with so much history it’s like looking at a mosaic of all the art history movements in one place – from Antiquity to Medieval, Renaissance to Baroque, Neo-classical to Modern. It’s a visual medley of periods, if you will.

From the outside, it is rugged and primitive – but inside it’s a sophisticated sight to behold. The impressive dome lumbers overhead while a burst of light shines through the open oculus, penetrating the dense, marble floors. Personally, it felt too impious to be a place of worship (especially compared to all of the other cathedrals we saw) but it’s no wonder this church has inspired so many other buildings – it’s truly amazing!