Once you’ve admired the beauty of the Pantheon’s interior, marveling at its graceful symmetry, step outside to look at the exterior. Each of the 16 columns weighs 60 tons, and was transported from Egypt to Rome by slave labour. The enormous front pediment would have once been decorated with bronze relief statues (then taken away to build cannons and decorated other buildings). At some point during the construction of the portico a new portico was built. When we stand in front of the Pantheon 2,000 years later, we don’t just see a church or a temple, but something dreamt up and created by the effort of thousands of workers and artists.

Perhaps the Pantheon is all the more beautiful for this imperfection – a potent symbol of humanity’s genius and fallibility. But one that has made history and one wonders if anything in modern time architecture could ever surpass the vision, challenge and accomplishments of the architects of the Pantheon. You can visit this amazing building and all the other most famous monuments and highlights of Rome with our expert tour guides, on a Roma Experience’s Heart of Rome walking tour.