Trifter

Lavendar brush strokes leap off canvas into life. Cobblestones, indistinguishable, one from the next, charm the narrow walk. Specs of light, and household pot clanging, dart from semi-openings on either side of an ancient alley, punctuating the meandering solitude.

You’ve left a din behind to enjoy momentary silence, when, with each step, vociferous cackles break again. One more move and it’s clear now, the x marking the spot of your next Roman adventure, awaits, a breath away.

An opening! Grandeur amid the piccolo (small)—you absorb a colossal, browned dome overlooking modern talk in a cozy piazza and low-rise, stucco homes and restaurants framing the scene. You’re standing in the Piazza della Rotonda. Your lovely date waves you hello, or, if you will, ciao. And you do as the Romans—you kiss both cheeks. At the scene’s heart? Rome’s Pantheon! 

An Imperial Roman marvel, the Pantheon, screams epic, exudes wonder, and cultivates romance. Book-ended by slim roads stretching to the Baroque Piazza Navona on one side, and the Piazza di Spagna on the other, the Piazza della Rotonda is the perfect stop—nestled between Navona’s view of Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and the bustling, tourists saturating the Spanish Steps (where you might hear Italo-accented, acoustic renditions of Livin’ on a Prayer).

Located in Rome’s Centro Storico (historic center), the Pantheon is easily accessible via an effective network of street signs, found anywhere in the Eternal City’s thriving heart.

Built from AD 118 to 125, and under Emperor Hadrian’s aegis, the Pantheon originally functioned as a temple dedicated to all the Roman gods. By AD 608, paganism gave way to Christianity, and the Pantheon was consecrated the Chiesa di Santa Maria ad Martyres.

In addition to its religious significance, the structure serves a time-telling purpose—the 9m (29.5ft) oculus doubles as sundial.

The massive dome, the complex’s colpo di grazia (coup de grace), remains the largest of its type. A concrete, flawless half sphere, it was constructed without vault, arch, or rib props. The engineering trick lay in hallowing out convex panels in the dome’s interior, creating a lighter load for the weight bearing walls beneath.

From floor to high point, the structure boasts a height of 43m (142.06ft). Sounds impressive? It should. The Pantheon claims sufficient headroom to accommodate a torchless, upright Statue of Liberty! (Pedestal not included.)

The royal watcher (not to mention sepulcher connoisseur) may gaze at the hosted tombs: King Vittorio Emmanuele II (a united Italy’s first king); son Umberto I; and Umberto’s wife, Queen Margherita. (The famous pizza is her namesake, at least ala` culinary legend).  Not classic aristocracy, but creative royalty, Renaissance painter Raphael also rests his bones here.

Step out amid the portico’s stately Corinthian columns to the Piazza della Rotonda and snap a face-to-face photo with that special someone in front of Giacomo della Porta’s softly gushing Renaissance fountain. Unlock eyes for a moment, continue caressing hands, and soak in the Egyptian obelisk capping the font.

When you realize your stomach calls for more than love and art, take a walk around the piazza (and adjoining side streets), browse menus and sit yourself down for a fine, yet affordable meal. Any establishment offers a selection surprisingly fit for all palettes- tourist and local.

Lollygaggle back to the Piazza della Rotonda and find an outdoor caffe` for an after-dinner drink. People watch. (There’s no dearth of opportunity.)

The sun sets; the sky darkens. The caffe` bulbs bathe your date’s soft features with equally tender hues.

Listen to a bronzed, wavy coiffed Italian as he operatically gesticulates and complains about helmet laws bound do tussle his mane. Forget business calls and appointments. Absorb the lit dome’s nighttime majesty. Smooth your white, open collar summer shirt as you raise your fizzing Bellini to the woman in the cute black dress opposite you, and whisper, cin cin (cheers).

(Pantheon open to public, admission free: Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-7:30pm; Sun. 9am-6pm; holidays 9am-1pm; closed Christmas and New Year’s)