Virtual reconstruction reveals secrets of Rome's Basilica of Neptune

A new immersive tour at the Pantheon in Rome, opening November 26, uses videomapping and virtual reconstructions to reveal the lost Basilica of Neptune. Built in 25 BC by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa to celebrate naval victories, the basilica was damaged in the 80 AD fire, rebuilt under Hadrian, and collapsed in the 13th century. Its ruins were later incorporated into the Palazzo dell'Accademia Ecclesiastica. The tour, curated by director Luca Mercuri and supported by the Direzione Generale Musei, includes two videomappings: one tracing architectural phases from the late Republican era to today, and another simulating light effects through the Pantheon's oculus on specific dates (December 21, April 7, June 21, September 5). Visitors enter through the Fossato del diavolo (opened 1881), seven meters below street level, where the original pavement of the Basilica of Neptune served as a buttress. The itinerary also highlights medieval fresco fragments, an 8th-9th century ciborium with peacock imagery, bricks with Hadrian's stamps, and 16th-century busts. The project, in development since 2019, aims to provide a permanent expansion of the Pantheon's visitor experience, which has required an entry ticket since summer 2023.