This intricate net was carved from a single block of marble by Francesco Queirolo. It took him 7 years. The sculpture was so delicate that no apprentice would dare touch it, fearing the net would crumble in their hands.

The oculus of the Pantheon is the only source of natural light for the ancient temple. No glass, no covering, nothing between the interior and the elements. Which raises an obvious question: what happens when it rains? The answer reveals just how brilliantly the Romans thought ahead. The oculus is not a design flaw... it is part of a carefully engineered system. As warm air rises and escapes through the opening, it creates a convective current that accelerates drying after a downpour. Meanwhile, the rotunda's floor, concave at its center, was deliberately shaped to collect any rainwater that does enter and funnel it toward 22 drainage holes hidden in its surface. Nothing was left to chance. And yet, for centuries, many believed that rain never entered the Pantheon at all. The legend, born when the building functioned as a church, held that the heat of countless candles burning inside would generate a rising column of air so powerful it could atomize falling droplets, making rainfall virtually invisible. Nearly two thousand years after its construction, this marvel remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built on Earth.