The Campo Marzio: origins of the neighbourhood
The Pantheon stands in the area the ancient Romans called the Campus Martius — the Field of Mars. It was an open space outside the pomerium (the city's sacred boundary), used for military exercises, the election of magistrates, and physical training.
From the Augustan era onwards, the Campo Marzio began its transformation into a monumental area. Great generals and emperors built mausoleums, temples, baths and colonnades here. This was where Rome displayed its own greatness.
The Ara Pacis Augustae (13–9 BC) stood about 700 metres to the north, in the same area. The Mausoleum of Augustus was about 1 km away. The urban logic was clear: concentrate the commemorative monuments of the new imperial Rome outside the boundaries of the ancient republican city.
Agrippa and the first Pantheon
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was Augustus's son-in-law and one of Rome's most prolific builders. In 27 BC he constructed a monumental building complex in this area that included:
- The first Pantheon (of which only the inscribed front survives)
- The Baths of Agrippa — Rome's first public baths, whose ruins are still visible in the walls of the restaurant La Ciambella, on Via dell'Arco della Ciambella, about 200 metres from the Pantheon
- The Stagnum Agrippae (Agrippa's pond): an artificial basin that occupied part of what is now the district
The baths were free and open to all citizens — a radical innovation in Roman urban planning. Agrippa used public construction as a tool for political consensus.
The Temple of Isis and the Sant'Eustachio district
In the area corresponding to today's Rione Sant'Eustachio (the district east of the Pantheon) stood the Temple of Isis — the Iseum Campense. It was one of the largest Egyptian sanctuaries outside Egypt.
The Isis cult was widespread throughout the Roman Empire. The temple was built in the Augustan period and restored several times until the 4th century. When the temple was abandoned and later demolished in the Middle Ages, its Egyptian statues and decorations were scattered throughout Rome.
The obelisk in the fountain: the obelisk that today stands at the centre of the Piazza della Rotonda fountain was found in this area — probably in the immediate vicinity of the Iseum. It had accompanied a statue of Ramesses II and was brought to Rome as a piece of temple decoration. In 1711, Pope Clement XI had it installed on top of Giacomo della Porta's fountain.
Bernini's Elephant: the obelisk that Bernini's elephant in Piazza della Minerva supports also comes from the Iseum Campense. It was found in the 16th century during construction works for the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
The Middle Ages: a craftsmen's district
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Campo Marzio was drastically depopulated. Rome's population dropped from about 1 million in the 1st–2nd centuries to a few tens of thousands by the 5th–6th centuries. Ancient buildings were partly abandoned and partly used as stone quarries.
The Pantheon survived because in 609, Pope Boniface IV converted it into a Christian church — dedicating it to Santa Maria and the Martyrs. This conversion saved it from being stripped.
The surrounding neighbourhood slowly repopulated during the Middle Ages. Districts developed characterised by specific craft activities:
- Rione della Pigna: took its name from a large Roman bronze pine cone that decorated a fountain in the area (now in the Vatican Museums)
- Via dei Cestari: basket-makers and liturgical fabric merchants
- Via dei Sediari: chair-makers
- Via dei Giubbonari (slightly further south): jacket-makers
This organisation by trade was typical of medieval Rome: entire streets were occupied by craftsmen of the same type.
The Renaissance: the district transforms
In the 15th–16th centuries, with the return of the papacy to Rome after the Avignon period, the historic centre underwent deep urban transformation. The neighbourhood around the Pantheon was among the most heavily redeveloped areas.
Palazzo della Cancelleria (1489–1513), Palazzo Farnese (1534–1589, a little further south) and dozens of noble palaces redesigned the district's topography.
The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva was rebuilt in Gothic style in the 13th century, but its furnishings were enriched in the 15th–16th centuries with works by Michelangelo, Filippino Lippi and others.
The Baroque: the district's great artistic season
The 17th–18th centuries were the period of the neighbourhood's greatest artistic flowering. During this period:
- Piazza Navona transformed by Innocent X (1644–1655): the piazza changed from an ancient circus into a baroque stage-set with Bernini's and Borromini's three fountains
- Bernini's Elephant (1667): in Piazza della Minerva
- Sant'Ignazio di Loyola (1626–1650): the Jesuit church with Pozzo's trompe-l'œil (1691–1694)
- The obelisk on the fountain (1711): Pope Clement XI transformed Giacomo della Porta's simple fountain into an obelisk monument
The Rione della Pigna today
The name "Rione della Pigna" survives as the designation of Rome's 9th district. The district occupies the area south-east of the Pantheon, roughly bounded by:
- North: Via del Gesù
- East: Largo di Torre Argentina
- South: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
- West: Via della Minerva
The district has maintained its character as a craft and commercial neighbourhood. Many historic workshops survive: bookbinders, framers, religious article sellers.
Visit the Pantheon with a private driver
The Pantheon is located in the heart of Rome's historic centre restricted traffic zone. Access by private car to Piazza della Rotonda is not possible.
Visit the Pantheon with a private driver: direct, comfortable arrival with no traffic or parking concerns. Service from €49. → Book your driver at myromedriver.com
Frequently asked questions
Why is the neighbourhood called "della Rotonda"? Historically the popular name for the Pantheon was "la Rotonda" (from its circular shape). The district, the piazza and even the fountain often carry this name in historical documents.
What remains of Agrippa's Baths? Some masonry is visible in the walls and courtyard of the restaurant La Ciambella, on Via dell'Arco della Ciambella. It is not an organised museum site, but the structures can be seen from outside.
Is the Temple of Isis visitable? No. Many traces have been found but there is no organised visitable site. Finds from the temple are scattered across various Roman museums.
When was the current piazza laid out? Piazza della Rotonda gradually took its current form between the 16th and 18th centuries, with the fountain installation (1575) and the addition of the obelisk (1711).
Article no. 76 — TIER S — MON-04 Pantheon Type: PRACTICAL Words: ~1,600