Pantheon & Vicinity

The area surrounding the Pantheon was fertile ground for Atlas Obscura hunting.

The Piazza della Minerva just east of the Pantheon boast two sights. The first was an obelisk that was brought from Egypt, and in the 1600s, it was erected atop a base featuring an elephant. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/elephant-an…

In the immediate vicinity of the obelisk is the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This church has five plaques to the right of the front door which record the level of ancient floods from the River Tiber. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flood-memor…

Located a few minutes away from the obelisk is a marble foot, which archeologists believe belong to a long lost statue which would have been about 25 feet tall. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pie-di-marmo

The next site was in a nondescript alley nearby. Amidst outdoor restaurant tables is a block of stone believed to be the remains of an ancient temple. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/durandals-mark

My wanderings then took me to a nearby Jesuit church named St Ignazio. When this church was under construction, money ran out and so they abandoned their plans to construct a grand dome. In its place, they painted a full size illustration of a dome which fools the eye into believing there actually is a dome there. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dome-illusion

The sixth and last Atlas Obscura site I visited in the vicinity was the Temple of Hadrian featuring 2nd century columns incorporated into a modern building. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/temple-of-h…Read more