{"id":7344,"date":"2026-04-19T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T10:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/?p=7344"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:21:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:21:28","slug":"startt-opens-up-concealed-ruins-behind-pantheon-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/19\/startt-opens-up-concealed-ruins-behind-pantheon-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"STARTT opens up concealed ruins behind Pantheon in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Beyond<\/div>\n

Italian architecture studio STARTT has used a series of “micro-architectures” to open up a previously inaccessible archaeological site behind the Pantheon in Rome<\/a> to the public. <\/span><\/p>\n

Named Beyond the Pantheon, the project provides a publicly accessible link between the ancient Roman temple and the ruins of the Basilica of Neptune, an ancient public hall located directly behind the architectural icon’s central rotunda.<\/p>\n

\"Beyond
STARTT has opened up inaccessible ruins behind the Pantheon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project, initiated by the Italian Ministry of Culture, doubles as an exhibition space that winds through the ruins of the ancient basilica.<\/p>\n

A series of steel and stone additions have been inserted into the ruins, described by STARTT<\/a> as “micro-architectures”, to house a lift, toilets and storage.<\/p>\n

\"Roman
The ruins belonged to the Basilica of Neptune<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Connecting the [Pantheon’s] rotunda and the apse of the Basilica of Neptune allows visitors to perceive how it once formed the head of an urban spine, in contrast to the modern narrative of the Pantheon as an isolated monument \u2013 the result of nineteenth-century demolitions,” STARTT founder Simone Capra told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“A sequence of tailored elements \u2013 what we called ‘micro-architectures’ \u2013 colonise the historic spaces behind the rotunda,” he added.<\/p>\n

“These spaces, once overwhelmed by technical systems and storage uses, have been freed by the micro-architectures that reorganise the building’s logistical needs \u2013\u00a0 storage, lift, toilets, and so on \u2013 into a sequence of spatial events.”<\/p>\n

\"Inside
Folding metal doors conceal a storage area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Entered via the Devil’s Moat entrance on the Pantheon’s western side, the route begins in the chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres, before moving into a narrow passage squeezed between the Pantheon’s rotunda and the ruins of the apse of the Basilica of Neptune.<\/p>\n

Folding metal doors conceal a storage area at the centre of the route below a large, illuminated archaeological plan, while a staircase and lift lead to a series of multimedia displays on the upper level.<\/p>\n

\"Inside
Stone panels form a datum along the historic brick walls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Referencing the crumbling brick-and-stone ruins, STARTT clad the insertions in sheets of steel painted a mottled shade of bluish-black to resemble mill scale \u2013 a flaky layer that forms on steel as it cools.<\/p>\n

These dark panels were used to clad new elements such as the lift and toilets, as well as a ramped path and datum along the historic brick walls. The panels are swapped for stone in some areas.<\/p>\n