ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 955

to enter museum, exhibits around €10, tel. [phone], www.comunicareorganizzando.it/
home.asp ). A café is at the base of the top colonnade, on the monument's east side.
You can climb the stairs to the midway point for a decent view, keep climbing to the
base of the colonnade for a better view, or, for the best view, ride the Rome from the Sky
elevator, which zips you from the top of the stair climb (at the back of the monument) to
the rooftop for the grandest, 360-degree view of the center of Rome—even better than from
the top of St. Peter's dome. Helpful panoramic diagrams describe the skyline, with powerful
binoculars available for zooming in on particular sights. It's best in late afternoon, when it's
beginning to cool off and Rome glows.
Cost and Hours: Monument—Free, daily 9:30-18:30, a few WCs scattered throughout,
tel. [phone]. Elevator—€7, Mon-Thu 9:30-18:30, Fri-Sun 9:30-19:30, ticket office
closes 45 minutes earlier, WC at entrance, tel. [phone]; follow ascensori panoramici
signs inside the Victor Emmanuel Monument or take the shortcut from Capitoline Hill (no
elevator access from street level).
Pantheon Neighborhood
Besides being home to ancient sights and historic churches, this neighborhood gives Rome
itsurban-villagefeel.Wandernarrowstreets,samplethemanyshopsandeateries,andgather
with the locals in squares marked by bubbling fountains. Exploring is especially good in
the evening, when the restaurants bustle and streets are jammed with foot traffic. For a self-
guided walk of this neighborhood, from Campo de' Fiori to the Trevi Fountain, see my
“Heart of Rome Walk” on here .
Getting There: To reach the Pantheon neighborhood, you can walk (it's a 15-minute
walk from Capitoline Hill), take a taxi, or catch a bus. Buses stop at a chaotic square called
Largo Argentina, a few blocks south of the Pantheon—from here you can walk north on
either Via dei Cestari or Via di Torre Argentina to the Pantheon. Buses #40 and #64 carry
tourists andpickpockets frequently between theTermini trainstation andVatican City(#492
servesthesameareasviaadifferentroute).Bus#87connectstotheColosseum.The elettrico
minibus #116 runs between Campo de' Fiori and Piazza Barberini via the Pantheon. The
mostdramaticapproachisonfootcomingfromPiazzaNavonaalongViaGiustiniani,which
spills directly into Piazza della Rotonda, offering the classic Pantheon view.