Tag: pantheon

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 1

by ginnyinshanghai

It was time to head back to Europe. This time with a party of three versus only two of us.  We couldn’t find a direct flight to Rome, but I wanted to avoid Atlanta.  Next option was a connection in Miami – sold. 

Temps to expect – okay, a break from the heat of Florida.

Next flight got us overseas. Surprisingly I slept!  Not enough of course but more than in the past.

Woke up to this view of Italy.

Upon landing in Rome, we were prepared to go through a new Entry/Exit System (EES) that was mandated to start 4/10/26 – shortly before our trip. Everything I had heard was be patient, the first time it will take longer and future trips would be a shorter process since everything would be on file. As we prepared to go through Passport Control, we were suddenly directed to go up a flight of stairs, get in a line for ‘non-Italians’, to go down an escalator to the original entry point! Basically, they were making us form a queue since it was a compact space and a number of flights had landed. Yikes, this is going to take us awhile. After taking the escalator down, passengers with a US or UK passport were directed to the left side of the holding area. We were waved through a number of gates and OMG within minutes we were through and at the luggage carousels. No stopping, no stamping and no more interactions.

After a taxi ride with our talkative drive, we arrived at our first AirBNB. Eric had detailed instructions for the four keys needed for this place.  First a phone call that automatically let us inside the first door.  Then the actual keys in a mailbox, with the longest one needed to get through the iron portal doorway.  Another key was for the elevator – luggage and one person was all the space available.  Adrienne and I walked up two flights of stairs and met Eric outside of the door utilizing his fourth key to get inside.  Whew!

Two bedrooms, two bath rooms and a small kitchen. 

Then you had the world’s most uncomfortable couch.  Yikes! Minimal padding with a wooden frame – maybe it was a daybed? The red cover was hiding it.

First order of business – food.  At the end of our block was several options.  Restaurant 433 it is!

Drinks & bread before a quick photo.

Then the meal arrived:  Buffalo mozzarella, pasta de pepe and pasta carbonara.

Next order of business was a short nap before walking the streets of Rome.  We locked in our destination (Piazza Navona) and started walking.  It was the original site of the 1st century Stadium of Domitian.  The stadium was commissioned as a gift to the people of Rome and used almost entirely for athletic contests.  It was Rome’s first permanent venue for competitive athletics, seating approximately 30,000.

On our last visit, work was being done on some of the fountains.  This time all three were working.  The center one the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers.  The rivers collectively represent four major rivers of the continents through which papal authority had spread:  The Nile, The Danube, The Ganges and the Rio de la Plata representing the Americas. Below is one of the four sides.

Really liked the detail on some of the sculptures.

At one end is the Fontana del Moro or Fountain of the Moor depicting a nautical scene with tritons, dolphins and a conch shell. The basin was constructed in the 1570s, with sculptures added in the 1650s.

At the north end is Fontana del Nettuno or the Fountain of Neptune.  The basin was designed in 1574 without the sculptures for 300 years.  The fountain as it exists today was finally completed in the 1870s following a competition.

We continued walking and came across the Pantheon.  You might ask why we didn’t go in?  We did it on our last trip and that time we hit a few of Rome’s highlights. We were checking off a lot of things that time. I got a quick shot while the other two were looking at meats & cheeses.

All this walking worked up an appetite, and we found Vecchio Locanda down this tiny alleyway.

Octopus w/ potatoes along with some parma was a hit.

There is art everywhere, even in the alleyways. While eating, this was our view from our outside table.

The night was so nice, no rain and a comfortable temperature that we did some walking around our area.  We are near the Tiber River.

This spot is the meeting point for our food tour the next day – a hint about the next post.

We headed back towards our apartment, and suddenly you are looking at ancient ruins, surrounded by more modern architecture.

I wanted some dessert before heading back to our place.  Outside of a number of restaurants there was a ‘handler’ that approached, asked what you would like and upon mentioning dessert, we took up his offer of a table. 

Savory before sweet so we ordered fried meat-stuffed olives – quite delicious – and fried artichoke.

Finally we got to the desserts.  Three selections were made and shared.

L – pistachio cheesecake, M – tiramisu w/ caramel, R – berry cheesecake

Now it’s time for bed!

Ginny

Rome History – Part 1

by ginnyinshanghai

Staying in the city center had so many advantages. Walking to historic sites was the main one. Soooooo much history in this city and you never knew when you turned a corner if you were going to find more Roman ruins – we did, a lot.

We were headed towards the Panthenon and came across this church.

In the 8th century there was an oratory on this spot, but it wasn’t until the Dominicans took final possession of the property that a church was built in 1280. It was one of the very few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. It was in the convent adjacent to this that in 1633 Galileo adjured his scientific thesis to save his life from the condemnation of the Holy Inquisition.

It was quietly beautiful inside. Since this is considered a minor basilica, there were no hordes of tourists.

In 1628 two almost identical organs were placed above the choirs. The one in my photo was looted then set on fire. The other organ was removed and used in a basilica elsewhere in Italy. Eventually both organs were replaced in the 1900s.

Below the table on the high altar is a 15th century sarcophagus of St. Catherine of Siena, minus her skull and a finger found in a basilica in Siena. Eric is in the foreground.

Notice the statue to the left of Eric above? It caught Eric’s attention with the amount of detail.

‘Christ carrying the Cross‘

Totally was not expecting this. There was a bit of rope stanchioning this off, but truly we were within a few feet of the statue.

This ‘find’ was so unexpected, it was a highlight of our time in Rome.

Leaving the church, we were presented with the back side of our next find.

The Pantheon

The date of construction is uncertain and debated. It was built on an earlier temple on private land, fire burnt it down (several times) and the present-day building was ordered by emperor Hadrian 126 AD. In 609 AD it became a Catholic church.

It is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings in large part due to continuous use throughout history. That’s not to say pieces and parts weren’t removed for other purposes or metalwork melted down for armory.

Since the Renaissance it became a fashionable burial place for painters, composers and even two kings.

The dome of course is one of most amazing feats. After 2000 years it is still the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world, at 142 feet in height and 142 feet in diameter. The thickness varies from 21 feet at the base to less than four feet around the oculus. Various materials were used as aggregate and could be travertine, terracotta tiles and pumice or tufa (volcanic rock) at the top.

The top of the oculus has never been covered allowing rainfall through the ceiling onto the floor going into floor drains to promote runoff.

The oculus and entry door are the only natural sources of light.

The history of the building pulled me in and I spent way too much time on the web going through links to find more info.

Occasionally you needed a break from history, and we found some great spots to do just that, as you’ll see in my next post.

Ginny