L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano as an artist. The tombs of I t a l i a n k i n g s V i c t o r E m m a n u e l I I a n d U m b e r t o I , a l o n g w i t h Queen Margherita, are also found inside. Throughout the centuries, the Pantheon also had an incredibly deep influence on Italian architecture, with fig- ures such as Brunelleschi and Michelangelo study- ing and sketching it during the Renaissance. Its charac- t e r i s t i c s h a v e a l s o b e e n inspiration to other works across Europe and, indeed, the US: Palladio used it as a basis for his villa designs, a n d c e n t u r i e s l a t e r , i t s impact can be seen in the United States Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Panthéon in Paris, among many others. From an e n g i n e e r i n g perspective, the Pantheon remains unmatched. Studies of its construction revealed that the unique composition of Roman concrete – partic- ularly the use of lime clasts and volcanic ash –gave the material the ability to self- heal over time and it is this remarkable feature that may explain why the structure endured centuries of earth- quakes, weather, and wear far better than many modern concrete buildings. V i s i t i n g t h e P a n t h e o n today is a remarkably imme- tecture, the survival of the Pantheon owes much to its Christianization: in the y e a r 6 0 9 , t h e B y z a n t i n e emperor Phocas gifted the building to Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated it as the C h u r c h o f S a i n t M a r y a n d t h e M a r t y r s . T h i s c o n v e r s i o n m a r k e d t h e beginning of its uninterrupt- ed use as a Christian place of w o r s h i p , w h i c h s p a r e d i t from the neglect and dis- mantling that affected many other Roman structures in the Middle Ages. Even dur- i n g t h e R e n a i s s a n c e a n d Baroque periods, when addi- t i o n s s u c h a s a l t a r s a n d chapels were made, the core architecture of the Pantheon was preserved. The building also became a resting place for notable f i g u r e s : a m o n g t h e m o s t famous is the artist Raffael- l o S a n z i o , w h o d i e d i n 1520. His tomb lies beneath a simple marble statue of the M a d o n n a a n d i s m a r k e d with a Latin epitaph written by Pietro Bembo: "Ille hic e s t R a p h a e l , t i m u i t q u o sospite vinci, rerum magna parens et moriente mori." The phrase means: "Here l i e s R a p h a e l , b y w h o m Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared she too would d i e , " t o s y m b o l i z e a n d express his incredible talent d i a t e e x p e r i e n c e . U n l i k e many ancient monuments, it d o e s n o t f e e l l i k e a r u i n , rather, it feels alive, breath- ing: you enter through mas- s i v e b r o n z e d o o r s i n t o a place that still functions, still holds services, and has the ability to stun with its scale and, yes, sense of serenity. The light from the oculus shifts across the floor, illu- minating niches and altars, with some tourists walking silently under the dome, and others lighting candles or attending mass. The air is cool, the acoustics gentle. D e s p i t e t h e c r o w d s , i t remains a space perfect for meditation. The decision by Time Out t o i n c l u d e t h e P a n t h e o n a m o n g t h e w o r l d ' s m o s t beautiful buildings is not surprising: it's a matter of l o n g e v i t y a n d f o r m , o f course, but also of how it continues to serve its pur- pose in the city where it was built. It is not a museum or a monument set apart from daily life, but an active part of Rome's spiritual, cultural, and civic fabric. It's histori- cal, ancient, yet still fully functional. The Pantheon reminds us that beauty and u t i l i t y a r e n o t o p p o s i n g forces: actually, they can be built together and, in some cases, last for thousands of years. religious function may have b e e n m o r e s y m b o l i c o r imperial in nature. What is k n o w n i s t h a t H a d r i a n ' s reconstruction represented a c o m p l e t e a r c h i t e c t u r a l departure from Agrippa's original, turning it into an unprecedented structure in Roman engineering. The most remarkable fea- t u r e o f t h e P a n t h e o n i s , without a doubt, its dome, which remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. Mea- suring 43.3 meters in diam- eter – just over 142 feet – it forms a perfect hemisphere set atop a circular drum. To support such an ambitious structure, Roman engineers carefully varied the materi- a l s u s e d , p l a c i n g h e a v i e r stone like travertine at the base, then gradually moving to lighter substances such as t u f a , b r i c k , a n d f i n a l l y p u m i c e n e a r t h e t o p . I t s famous interior coffering, with its rhythmic recessed p a n e l s , h a s a n e s s e n t i a l structural role, too, as it was created to reduce the overall weight of the dome without w e a k e n i n g i t s s t r u c t u r a l integrity. At the very centre of the dome itself is the oculus, a nine-meter-wide circular opening that provides the only source of natural light inside the building. I n t e r e s t i n g l y – a n d v e r y beautifully – it also func- tions as a natural spotlight, shifting throughout the day and seasons, and casting moving beams of light that further add to the symbol- i s m o f t h i s b r e a t h t a k i n g building. On certain dates, such as April 21 – the tra- d i t i o n a l f o u n d i n g d a y o f R o m e – t h e m i d d a y s u n a l i g n s p r e c i s e l y w i t h t h e entrance, creating a moment t h a t m a n y i n t e r p r e t a s intentional. The oculus also allows rain to enter, but the floor is subtly convex with an effective drainage system that channels water away through 22 invisible holes, a very practical solution that s h o w s u s o n c e m o r e h o w advanced Roman engineer- ing skills were. W h i l e q u i n t e s s e n t i a l l y classical in origin and archi- T h i s y e a r , T i m e O u t s e l e c t e d t h e 2 4 m o s t b e a u t i f u l b u i l d i n g s i n the world and, among con- t e m p o r a r y m a r v e l s a n d ancient wonders, only one Italian structure made the final cut: the Pantheon in Rome. It is not the newest, t a l l e s t , o r m o s t e l a b o r a t e building on the list, but it stands apart for its historical weight, architectural innova- tion, and continuous rele- vance over nearly two mil- l e n n i a . B u i l t d u r i n g t h e Roman Empire and still in u s e t o d a y , t h e P a n t h e o n remains one of the most vis- i t e d a n d a d m i r e d m o n u - ments in Italy and a defin- ing symbol of classical architecture. Located in the very heart of Rome, the Pantheon is instantly recognizable for its m a s s i v e p o r t i c o w i t h C o r i n t h i a n c o l u m n s , i t s rotunda covered by a cof- fered dome, and the circular oculus at the very top. It is often described as the best- preserved ancient building in the city, and its appearance has changed remarkably lit- tle since the early second century AD, when the cur- rent version was commis- sioned by Emperor Hadri- a n and built between 118 and 125 AD. The inscription on the front, though, still attributes the building to M a r c u s A g r i p p a , w h o erected an earlier temple on t h e s a m e s i t e i n 2 7 B C . H a d r i a n , k n o w n f o r h i s i n t e r e s t i n a r c h i t e c t u r e , chose to preserve the original dedication, which reads: M. AGRIPPA L. F. COS. TER- T I U M F E C I T ( " M a r c u s Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this in his third consulship"). The original purpose of the Pantheon remains a sub- ject of scholarly debate: its name, derived from Greek, means "all gods," suggesting it may have been intended as a t e m p l e t o a l l R o m a n deities. However, no defini- tive evidence has confirmed this interpretation, and some researchers suggest that its The façade of the Pantheon, in all its classical grandiosity (Photo: Gutescu Eduard/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS The Pantheon earns its place among the world's most beautiful landmarks CHIARA D'ALESSIO

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