Five times to Italy but only once to Rome, part four

It's a Friday morning in Rome.  We woke up early, rode the train from Umbria, dropped our bags off at the hotel and hit the ground running.  We have two days before we fly home.  Rome is busy, crowded and wonderful. We've downloaded specialized maps and follow live, blinking blue dots on our phones.  For the heck of it, we trail behind a Japanese tour group.  And there it is, the Pantheon.

The Roman Pantheon

We pass though sixteen mammoth, single-piece Corinthian columns and walk inside.  Rebuilt in 126 AD, it's been in continuous use ever since.  Above us is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome with its oculus.

Of course it's crowded, but it's cool, dark and beautiful and I could stay here all day if I wasn't ready to eat lunch.

The oculus

Inside the Pantheon