Welcome back yet again! I hope you all enjoyed my first post on the Colosseum and Forum, because I’ve got much more to talk about! Now, I won’t waste anymore of your time and I’ll get to it.
Hot off my visit to the Colosseum and Forum, the next day I decided to visit another important Roman ruin, the Pantheon. This place held a very important role in ancient Rome; it was one of the largest temples to the Roman gods. The first thing I noticed upon entering was the gorgeous dome roof. Perfectly circular, it has square indentations in it which really gives it a sense of depth and gravity that other domes just don’t have. It even has a circular opening in the center that lets natural light filter through. It was really impressive to think that something like this was made 2000 years ago, and has stood the test of time until our modern day. This isn’t too surprising, though, since unlike many other Roman buildings which were abandoned after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Pantheon was converted into a church in the 7th century, which allowed it to be restored throughout time. Unlike the roof and upper walls, which are more simplistic and Roman-styled, the floor and lower walls are clearly influenced by Christian architecture. The Pantheon also serves as a burial place for many important figures, such as Popes or Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy. However, this all comes with the caveat that the Pantheon is very small. It barely even took me 2 hours to get through the entire thing. It’s also tucked away between a bunch of other buildings, so there’s not much to do around it.
However, the Pantheon is positioned in a very convenient place. It is right next to the Fontana Trevi, as well as the Altare della Patria, both of which are free to visit. The Fontana Trevi is a huge fountain made of marble depicting many Roman gods built during the 18th century. What struck me about it was how clean the water was. Most fountains I’ve seen in Paris have murky waters full of algae, but the water here (and in other fountains I saw in Rome) was crystal clear. The Altare della Patria (also known as the Victor Emmanuel II monument) is right down the road from the fountain, too. This monument, dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II, commemorates the unification of Italy. The scale of it is seriously impressive, and it is full of statues and engravings. It even has a small museum section on the Risorgimento (Italian Unification) as well as Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the radio. Finally, it has an elevator at the back that allows you to go to the top of the monument. You do need to pay for a ticket to access the museums and elevator, which you can do at the entrance to the sections.
The next day, I went to see the Castel Sant’Angelo. This old fort is a prime example of Rome’s layered history. Originally built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian, it was later converted into a fortress in the 5th century. Then, it was transformed into a castle for the Pope during the 14th century, before being repurposed as a prison later on. Now, it is a museum. It was really crazy to see a place that has been through so much. You can even make out based on the age and quality of the walls what time period they are from. The castle had a bit of everything to offer: old roman sculptures, medieval armor, renaissance paintings, and more modern cannons and guns. It also is located right next to the Tiber, as well as the Vatican, which gives it a great vue. A definite must-visit.
That’s about it for this post! Make sure to stay tuned for the next one, cause it’s going to be big! Until next time!
