STARTT’s Beyond the Pantheon introduces a new visitor route through previously inaccessible areas behind the Pantheon in Rome, specifically within the Basilica of Neptune. The project opens a series of interior spaces containing architectural fragments, frescoes, and materials removed from the Pantheon over centuries of modification. These elements are presented alongside archaeological findings from excavations, documenting changes to both the monument and the surrounding Campus Martius.
The experience is structured as a guided path supported by video mapping, reconstructed architectural elements, and 3D models. Visitors move through sections that trace the Pantheon’s transformation from an imperial Roman temple to a Christian basilica following its consecration in 609. The installation includes reconstructed liturgical features, large-scale replicas, and multimedia displays, with access enabled by a newly integrated lift system connecting the spaces behind the main rotunda.
Image Credit: Alessandro Penso, Directorate of National Museums of the city of Rome
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Adaptive Heritage Routes
- Opening previously inaccessible back-of-house and subterranean spaces creates new narratives and visitor flows that redefine how historic sites are experienced and monetized.
- Multimodal Immersive Interpretation
- Combining video mapping, 3D models, large-scale replicas, and guided paths enables layered storytelling that transforms static artifacts into time-sequenced experiential environments.
- Integrated Accessibility Infrastructure
- Embedding unobtrusive lift systems and circulation solutions within ancient structures allows broader public access while challenging conventional preservation-access trade-offs.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Cultural Tourism
- Narrow-route, behind-the-scenes tours focused on layered histories present opportunities to segment visitors by interest and willingness to pay for premium contextual experiences.
- Museum Technology
- Providers of projection mapping, AR/VR content, and 3D reconstruction software stand to shift exhibition design by enabling portable, site-specific storytelling platforms.
- Heritage Conservation Engineering
- Specialized engineering services that reconcile structural interventions with conservation ethics are positioned to lead on reversible, low-impact access and display solutions.
