79
Bocca della Verità MONUMENT the third time, built this’. Hadrian’s temple
(Map p68; Piazza Bocca della Verità 18; donation was dedicated to the classical gods – the
€0.50; h 9.30am-4.50pm winter, to 5.50pm sum- name Pantheon is a derivation of the Greek
mer; g Piazza Bocca della Verità) A round piece words pan (all) and theos (god) – but in AD
of marble that was once part of an ancient 608 it was consecrated as a Christian church
fountain, or possibly an ancient manhole and it’s now officially known as the Basilica
cover, the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of di Santa Maria ad Martyres.
Rome & L a zio S
Truth) is one of Rome’s most popular curios- During the Renaissance it was much ad-
ities. Legend has it that if you put your hand mired – Brunelleschi used it as inspiration
in the carved mouth and tell a lie, it will bite for the Duomo in Florence – and it became
your hand off. an important burial chamber. Inside you’ll
The mouth lives in the portico of the find the tomb of the artist Raphael, along-
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin (Map side those of kings Vittorio Emanuele II and
p68), one of Rome’s most beautiful medieval Umberto I.
R IioG
churches. Originally built in the 8th century, However, the real fascination of the Pan-
gmH
hts
the church was given a major revamp in theon lies in its massive dimensions and
eT S
the 12th century, when the seven-storey bell extraordinary dome. Considered the ancient
tower and portico were added and the floor Romans greatest architectural achievement,
was decorated with Cosmati inlaid marble. it was the largest dome in the world until
Opposite the church are two tiny Roman the 15th century and is still the largest un-
temples dating to the 2nd century BC: the reinforced concrete dome in existence. Its
round Tempio di Ercole Vincitore (Map harmonious appearance is due to a precisely
p68) and the Tempio di Portunus (Map p68), calibrated symmetry – its diameter is ex-
dedicated to the god of rivers and ports, Por- actly equal to the Pantheon’s interior height
tunus. Just off the piazza, the Arco di Giano of 43.3m. Light enters through the oculus,
(Map p68) (Arch of Janus) is a four-sided Ro- an 8.7m opening in the dome, which also
man arch that once covered a crossroads. served as a symbolic connection between
the temple and the gods. Rainwater also
enters but drains away through 22 almost
1 Centro Storico invisible holes in the sloping marble floor.
The labyrinthine historic centre is the Rome The exterior, although somewhat the
you’ve come to see – romantic cobbled lanes, worse for wear, is still imposing with 16
operatic piazzas, Renaissance palazzi, ba- Corinthian columns supporting a triangu-
roque churches. The Pantheon and Piazza lar pediment. Little remains of the ancient
Navona are the stars, but you’ll also find a decor, although rivets and holes in the brick-
host of monuments, museums and art-rich work indicate where the marble panels were
churches. once placed, and the towering 20-tonne
bronze doors are 16th-century restorations
oPantheon CHURCH of the originals.
(Map p80; Piazza della Rotonda; h 8.30am-7.30pm
Chiesa di Santa Maria ¨
Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun; g Largo di Torre Argen-
Sopra Minerva CHURCH
tina) F A striking 2000-year-old temple,
(Map p80; Piazza della Minerva; h 8am-7pm Mon-
now church, the Pantheon is the city’s best-
Fri, 8am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Sat & Sun; g Largo di
preserved ancient monument and one of the
Torre Argentina) Bernini’s much-loved Ele-
most influential buildings in the Western
world. The greying, pock-marked exterior fantino sculpture trumpets the presence of
might look its age, but inside it’s a different the Dominican Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra
story, and it’s an exhilarating experience to Minerva, Rome’s only Gothic church. Built
pass through the towering bronze doors and on the site of an ancient temple to Minerva,
have your vision directed upwards to the larg- it has been much altered over the centu-
est unreinforced concrete dome ever built. ries and little remains of its original 13th-
Its current form dates to AD 120, when century form.
Hadrian built over Marcus Agrippa’s origi- Inside, you’ll find two superb 15th-
nal 27 BC temple – you can still see Agrip- century frescoes by Filippino Lippi and the
pa’s name inscribed on the pediment: majestic tomb of Pope Paul IV. Left of the
‘M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIUM.FECIT’ or high altar is one of Michelangelo’s lesser-
‘Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for known sculptures, Cristo Risorto (Christ
Bearing the Cross; 1520). An altarpiece of
