The Pantheon unveils its most hidden secrets thanks to an innovative exhibition tour that allows visitors to explore areas hitherto precluded to the public. Through the use of advanced technologies, such as immersive video mapping, 3D models and architectural reconstructions, visitors can retrace the two millennia of history of this symbol of Rome.
Highlights and details of the tour
The tour winds through the rooms of the Basilica of Neptune, located just behind the Rotunda. Fragments of precious marbles, frescoes and liturgical structures that had been removed from the main monument over the centuries to adapt it to new worship needs have been unearthed here. These finds, along with materials from excavations in the late 19th century, document the evolution not only of the Pantheon, but of the entire Campus Martius.
The visit begins with a video mapping that explains the function of the Oculus at the top of the dome, conceived as a giant cosmic clock. A multimedia table then guides visitors through the construction phases, from Agrippa’s original temple (27 B.C.) to the radical reconstruction ordered by Hadrian.
The second part narrates the transformation of the temple into a church (Santa Maria ad Martyres) in 609 AD. On display are reconstructed works, such as the 8th-century ciborium and the 17th-century aedicule that once housed the icon of the Madonna, which was dismantled in the 1960s and is now reassembled.
Practical information: times and prices
The visit lasts 45 minutes and takes place in groups of up to 25 people.
đź•’ Escorted tour times:
- In Italian:
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Sunday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- English:
Monday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunday: 3:30 p.m.
(Note: The trail is open every day except the first Sunday of the month).
đź’° Ticket Costs: Two admission tickets must be purchased to access the full experience:
“Beyond the Pantheon” route (Basilica of Neptune): €10.00 (Single price; free only for those under 18).
Pantheon (Rotunda) Entrance: 5.00 € (Statutory reductions and gratuities apply).