Piazza del Pantheon, Rome
Back in prehistoric times before email, I worked as a researcher for Time-Life Books, and whenever I needed photos or info from some museum or archives or private collection in Italy, I'd fax our Rome correspondent's assistant, Mimi Murphy. Her skill at slicing through layers of Italian red tape was legendary, and she never failed to deliver the goods. So I was delighted to see her name surface again as the author of Traveler's July/August cover story, "Authentic Rome." Mimi's lived in the Eternal City since 1980 and she knows the most knowledgeable people to ask for the best tips on food, shopping, nightlife, hotels, and sights in her adopted city. Plus I knew she'd have opinions of her own. Senior editor Sheila Buckmaster interviewed Mimi for our Contributors' Page and asked her favorite time of day in Rome, and why:
In the warmer months my favorite time of day is near sunset when you can sit at a café and watch the colors of the buildings and monuments warm to golden in Rome's incredible light.
I think photographer Bob Krist caught that kind of a moment here, at the Piazza del Pantheon. The Pantheon in the background was begun in 27 B.C. by Roman statesman Marcus Agrippa but burned down and was completely rebuilt sometime between A.D. 118 and 128 by emperor Hadrian, who rather generously kept Agrippa's name above the colonnade. For more photos, check our online Rome Photo Gallery. The Rome story is available only in the July/August issue of Traveler, on newsstands now.
Photo: Bob Krist
This is the only photo I have found that reflects the Pantheon's pure beauty. Apart from seeing it in person this is as good as it gets. Well done!
Posted by: Italy Accom | July 25, 2008 at 01:42 AM