Rome, What to cover from 3 days in the eternal city Blogpost 1.

You do not need to copy Hamlet "To be or not......" , but after 3 days in Rome the chalenge is what to cover and put into your blog among the 210 photos taken during three days. Most of the red areas was visited.

Staying at a hotel close to Pantheon is only natural to start there.

We visited this cafe at Piazza della Rotonda every day for a drink or a light meal. The inscription says «Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, built this in his 3rd consulat" (year 27th bc), but the present building was rebuilt after a fire in 126 ad

However, covering Pantheon from outside is not god enough. Therefore:

The fantastic doome with the sun coming in through the oculus with a diameter of 27 ft (8.2 m) 

and the hight and diameter of the interior circle as the same, 142 feet (43 m)

 Walking around the circle we see: The High altar designed by Alessandro Specchi and the tombs of Vittorio Emanuelle II 1820-1870 and Umberto I 1878 - 1900 and his wife Margerita.

Italy's kings after 1870 are buried here
The reason was the poor relationship between state and church after Italy's union, so the pope did not want to make the main churches available as a graveyard for the kings.
Instead, the Pantheon was put into use.

The sculpture of Maria Bibbiena above the tomb of the painter Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520).
Maria was Rafaels fiance.
 The sarcophragus has following inscription: "Here lies Raphael, by whom the mother of all things (Nature) feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, herself to die"