Castel Sant'Angelo (Mausoleum of Hadrian). Architecture and Light.›
The Mausoleum of Hadrian had a temple on the top, with a statue of the Quadriga of the Sun driven by the emperor himself in the guise of Sol Invictus, the invincible Sun god. Over the centuries it was plundered of its marbles and most precious objects, including the emperor's red porphyry sarcophagus.
The building was located in a strategic point on the banks of the Tiber river, and had its own bridge, the Aelius bridge. The Mausoleum had the appearance of a high tower, visible from all the surrounding territory, which pushed the Romans to transform it into a lookout point and then into a fortress to defend themselves from barbarian invasions.
It was included in the Leonine Walls and resisted endless sieges, including the Sack of Rome by the Landsknechts in 1527. Later in the Renaissance, the popes transformed it into a sumptuous residence frescoed by the best artists of the time.
In the Burial room (Hall of the Urns) even today we can still see spectacular illuminations, Rectangles of Light which allow us to understand the symbolic meaning of the building, and to propose a new reconstruction of the Mausoleum.

Pantheon. Architecture & Light.›
The Pantheon is one of the absolute masterpieces of Roman architecture, and still today has the largest non-reinforced concrete dome in the world. Its construction began during the reign of Trajan and it is likely that it was designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, one of the greatest architects of all times. The Pantheon was revetted with precious marbles which have been plundered over the centuries, often during alleged restorations which removed the precious marbles and replaced them with painted stucco. The same goes for the original bronze beams of the portico, which were dismantled in the seventeenth century by pope Urban VIII to make the new cannons of Castel Sant'Angelo.
Spectacular illuminations occur in the Pantheon only twice a year, namely the Arc and the Square of Light, which give an idea of ​​the complexity of the architectural design and are studied in detail in this book.

Hadrian's Villa. Architettura Celeste.›
Villa Adriana is the largest and most complex Roman imperial villa, built in a few years and probably designed by the emperor himself. After centuries of decline and abandonment which reduced it to a pile of ruins covered in impenetrable brambles, it was rediscovered in the mid-fifteenth century.
Since then, excavations and studies have multiplied, aiming more at discovering works of art than at knowing its architecture. This book deals with a new aspect of the Villa, the astronomical orientation which is our discovery. It concerns the lesser-known area of ​​the Villa, still partly in private property, i.e. the Accademia Esplanade with the buildings of Roccabruna and Accademia.
On the occasion of the Solstices there are special illuminations such as the Blade of Light which have allowed us to give a new interpretation on the function and symbolic meaning of this area of ​​the Villa.