The Pantheon, Rome

The Pantheon is a temple to all the Gods of Ancient Rome. It was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126AD

The Pantheon was the first round temple ever built and is the oldest standing domed structure in the world.

The distance from the floor to the top of the dome is equal to it's diameter so it is perfectly symmetrical.

The Pantheon is located in Rome's Piazza della Rotunda.

The Fountain with Obelisk in front of the Pantheon

Vatican City

Some interesting facts about Vatican City:

o  smallest independent "nation state" in the world

o exists within a walled enclave of Rome, Italy

o  the Pope is the head of state

o  issues its own passports

o  has its own telephone system, post office, pharmacy and
    banking system

o controls its own internet domain which is registered as .va

o  a contingent of Swiss Guards is responsible for the safety of
    the Pope

Here are my pics of Vatican City. I visited just after the New Year in 1994 so it was still festive with Christmas displays. Really wonderful to be there at that time.

 St Peter's Basilica

 St Peter's Square

Christmas Display in St Peter's Square

Related Posts:
Rome - The Colosseum
Rome - Roman Forum and Palace of Septimius Severus
Roman Arches


Links:  Wikipedia Vatican City

Rome - Arches

The Roman Emperors built many triumphal arches to commemorate victorious generals or events.

Here are two of them.

The Arch of Constantine is situated close to the Colosseum. It was built to commemorate Constantine's victory of Mazentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312AD.

This is the Arch of Titus situated near the Roman Forum.  It was built in 82AD by Domitian after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70AD.

click on pics to enlarge

Related Posts:
Rome - Grand Old Ruins
Rome - The Colosseum

Wikipedia Links:  Arch of Constantine   Arch of Titus