Rome, Italy: The Pantheon - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite

Throughout the ages, people mined once-glorious buildings as quarries. Imagine, they were stacked with pre-cut stones free for the taking. Block by block, they carted away most of this temple and then incorporated what was still standing, like these columns, into a modern building. Thankfully, no one cannibalized the magnificent Pantheon, the best-preserved temple from ancient Rome. The portico, with its stately pediment, has symbolized Roman greatness ever since antiquity. Like the obelisks, its massive one-piece granite columns were shipped from Egypt. They're huge. It takes four tourists to hug one. Step inside to enjoy the finest look anywhere at the splendor of ancient Rome. Its dimensions are classic, based on a perfect circle as wide as it is tall, 140 feet. The oculus is the only source of light. The Pantheon survived so well because it's been in continuous use for over 2,000 years. It went almost directly from being a pagan temple to being a Christian church. The beauty of the Pantheon and the brilliance of its construction has inspired architects through the ages. The dome is made of poured concrete, which gets thinner and lighter with height. The highest part is made with pumice, an arid volcanic stone. Pantheon means all the gods. It was a spiritual menagerie where the many gods of the empire were worshipped.