Around the Pantheon

Neighborhood: Around the Pantheon

Piazza della Rotonda

The district around the Pantheon, located in the historic heart of Rome, captivates with its Renaissance-era urban fabric. Its charming streets, dotted with small picturesque squares or larger and emblematic spaces, reveal remarkable public buildings and ancient remains.

Squares and monuments near the Pantheon

At the center of the district, Piazza della Rotonda opens onto the majestic Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to the gods, remarkably well preserved. In the heart of the square, an elegant fountain is topped by a small Egyptian obelisk.
Just a few steps away, Piazza della Minerva, more intimate in scale, is distinguished by its obelisk carried on the back of the iconic Bernini elephant, standing in front of the entrance to Rome’s only Gothic church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Piazza della Minerva

Rione Colonna

A little further away, Piazza di Montecitorio, dominated by an imposing obelisk, faces the palace housing the Italian Parliament. Nearby, Piazza Colonna, bordering Via del Corso, is marked by the ancient Column of Marcus Aurelius and Palazzo Chigi, seat of the Italian government.
Wandering through the streets, Piazza di Pietra reveals the colonnade of the Temple of Hadrian, which closes one of its sides.

The Rione Pigna: Jesuit heritage and palaces

Just a few steps away, Piazza Sant’Ignazio opens in front of the Jesuit church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a Baroque gem. In this historic district of the Rione Pigna, there once stood in antiquity a large sanctuary dedicated to Isis, from which an impressive giant marble foot survives, visible in Via del Cacco.
In the 16th century, the Jesuits founded here the Roman College and the church of Il Gesù, the first Jesuit church in Rome, located on Via del Plebiscito. Further west, Largo Argentina, a transport hub, contains a Republican-era sanctuary grouping together several of the city’s oldest temples.
This district is home to many elegant 16th- and 17th-century palaces, such as the residential palaces Grazioli and Altieri, as well as the majestic Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, whose gallery preserves the works of the famous family. Along Via del Corso, Palazzo Bonaparte and Palazzo Cipolla complete this rich architectural heritage.

The Rione Sant’Eustachio: art and institutions

West of the Pantheon, the Rione Sant’Eustachio revolves around Via della Dogana, linking the small Piazza Sant’Eustachio to the Basilica of Saint Augustine, adorned with a painting by Caravaggio. Along the way, Palazzo Madama, seat of the Italian Senate, and Palazzo della Sapienza, with its historic university, punctuate the route. The Church of Saint Louis of the French stands out in particular, housing three paintings by Caravaggio, a unique artistic treasure.