Rome’s Pantheon charges for tourist entry

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Rome’s 2,000-year-old Pantheon started charging for entrance on Monday, with tourists paying 5 euros ($5) to see Italy’s most visited cultural site.

The building, one of the Italian capital’s oldest and best loved, is currently a consecrated church.

Part of the proceeds from ticket sales would go to the diocese of Rome and the rest to the Culture Ministry. Minors and Rome residents are exempt from paying.

The new charge “won’t stop many people coming to visit,” French visitor Camille Piallat predicted, as he lined up to buy his ticket in the sunshine.

The other major churches in Rome, including St. Peter’s Basilica, are free to visit, but visitors to museums and monuments, such as the Colosseum, must pay for tickets.

One of the best-preserved structures of ancient Rome, the Pantheon is famed for its extraordinary dome, which measures 43 meters (140 feet) in diameter and includes a circular opening through which light and occasionally rain fall.

It was built as a temple in the 1st century B.C. before being radically rebuilt under Emperor Hadrian at the start of the 2nd century A.D.

After falling into neglect, it was given a new life after being consecrated as a church in the 7^th century under Pope Boniface 4^th.

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