Rome. On Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 3:30 PM, archaeologist Ada Foschi, along with author Marina De Franceschini, will present two volumes on Archaeoastronomy and Archaeology (also in English edition):
«Pantheon. Architecture & Light»
«Castel Sant'Angelo. Mausoleum of Hadrian. Architecture & Light»
The presentation, organized by archaeologist Caterina Rossetti of the Appian Way Regional Park, will be held in the Antonio Cederna Conference Room in the Cartiera Latina, at Via Appia Antica 42 (large parking lot at number 50).
The volumes recount the millennia-long history of two absolute masterpieces of ancient Roman architecture. They explain how they were built to last through the centuries, surviving wars, sieges, earthquakes, and looting. They reconstruct their ancient appearance and show their extraordinary beauty with new, previously unpublished photographs.
Thanks to Archaeoastronomy, the author discovered magic illuminations similar to those of Stonehenge or Abu Simbel. They are visible only on certain days of the year and had a hidden symbolic meaning, tied to the very essence of the imperial power of their builder, Emperor Hadrian.
You can discover this and much more in the two volumes, of which we offer a small preview.
PANTHEON. ARCHITECTURE & LIGHT
Even today, the Pantheon boasts the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, 43.3 meters in diameter.
Its construction was no small feat: in fact, it is thought to have been designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajan's architect, 1,900 years ago.
The secret of such solidity lies in the skillful use of building materials. The lower walls are thicker, constructed with robust materials such as peperino tuff. As one ascends, increasingly lighter materials are used, and the thickness of the walls is reduced, thanks in part to the large coffered ceilings that lighten the weight of the vault.
Since ancient times, it has been said that the dome of the Pantheon resembled the vault of heaven, and indeed, even today it functions as a gigantic spherical Sundial: every day at noon, a circle of light appears at different heights and indicates the passing of the Seasons.
The most extraordinary illumination, discovered by Marina De Franceschini thanks to Archaeoastronomy, is the Arc of Light: it perfectly matches the masonry arch above the portal, and demonstrates astonishing calculation capabilities, a few millennia before computers…
It is visible only on a few days of the year, along with the Square of Light where Emperor Hadrian stood. He was illuminated by the Sun like by a theatrical spotlight, and could boast to be so powerful that he even controlled the course of the Sun.
CASTEL SANT'ANGELO. MAUSOLEUM OF HADRIAN. ARCHITECTURE & LIGHT
The grandiose Mausoleum was built as a new dynastic tomb on the right bank of the Tiber.
The red porphyry sarcophagus of Emperor Hadrian was housed in the Hall of the Burial Urns.
The Mausoleum was sacked several times by barbarians and stripped of its decorations and priceless treasures, becoming a ruin covered in brambles.
The book recounts its rebirth in the Christian era, with the legendary apparition of the Archangel Michael, who put an end to the plague of 590 AD.
In the Middle Ages, it became the fortress where the popes took refuge during sieges, as the one of the Landsknechts. For centuries, it withstood sieges and sackings, and was never conquered.
Some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance were called upon by the popes to decorate their apartments in the Castle. The original Roman entrance was walled up and forgotten for centuries.
The same thing happened with the Pons Aelius, the bridge leading to the Mausoleum, whose original paving was rediscovered in the late 19th century and partially demolished, as we prove with previously unpublished photographs.
During the days of the Summer Solstice (June 21), a Rectangle of Light can still be seen in the Hall of the Burial Urns.
Thanks to Archaeoastronomy, we have discovered its hidden symbolic meaning, linked to the Emperor Hadrian depicted as Sol Invictus driving the Chariot of the Sun.
We have thus virtually "stripped" the Mausoleum of all medieval additions, proposing a new and unprecedented reconstruction of its appearance in roman times.