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"Turning into a hushed Piazza della Rotonda at first light, the Pantheon loomed ahead and, with only a few early risers around, I could actually listen as my guide shared its wondrous history; at the huge bronze double doors—original and almost 2,000 years old—she urged me to imagine everyone who has passed through them, a serene contrast to the tour groups that throng the area later in the day." - Sophie Prideaux