Arch of Constantine
The Colosseum
Inside the Colosseum
A view of the excavations of the labyrinths of holding cages beneath the Colosseum. In ancient times, these were covered by a wooden floor with sand on tope. Trap doors could be opened to let beasts out.
A view of the excavations of the labyrinths of holding cages beneath the Colosseum.
Ruins in the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area seen from the top of the Colosseum.
Close-up of the ruins from the previous picture.
Arch of Constantine as seen from the top of the Colosseum.
A reconstructed section of what the actual seating would have looked like in the Colosseum.
Approaching the Colosseum on New Year's Eve.
Approaching the Colosseum on New Year's Eve. Imagine the strains of rock music and a heavy bass line in the background.
The Coloseum at night. New Year's Eve, 2008. ... Accompanied by a pulsing rock beat.
The Coloseum at night. New Year's Eve, 2008.
Ruins in the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area near the Colosseum.
Another arch along the Forum.
The top of a monument.
Saint Bonaventura Church near Palatine Hill.
Basilica of Santa Maria Nova near the Colosseum.
Basilica of Santa Maria Nova
The Belén in Basilica of Santa Maria Nova
Ceiling of the Basilica of Santa Maria Nova
Map showing the growth of the Roman Empire.
A monument in Rome.
Church of Saint Ignazio
Ceiling of the Church of Saint Ignazio
The Pantheon
Dome of the Pantheon.
Inside the Pantheon
A cool column.
Close-up of the detail on the column
Plaque beneath the column
Fountain in Rome
The Trevi Fountain at night
Close-up of part of the Trevi Fountain
Scott at the Spanish Steps
The Trevi Fountain in the daylight
Our canine escorts through the ruins of Pompeii
Pompeii
Ruins of the little theatre at Pompeii
Ruins of the little theatre at Pompeii, and one of our canine escorts.
Sculpture in the little theatre
The large theatre at Pompeii
Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background.
A street in Pompeii
Fresco in the "Gentleman's Club" in Pompeii
Fresco in the "Gentleman's Club" in Pompeii. Language barriers with the ladies of the evening were not a problem; customers would just point to the appropriate fresco to indicate what they wanted.
Original stucco on the exterior wall of a home in Pompeii
Ovens in Pompeii
Drain for a water basin, using lead piping beneath the sidewalks. The Romans were the first large-scale plumbers; the word "plumbing" comes from "plumbum", the Latin word for lead.
Stepping stones to cross the street without getting your feet wet/dirty. The spacings were designed to allow wagon wheels to pass between the stones.
Carving in the road pointing toward the "Gentleman's Club"
Irridescent stones embedded in the edge of the road to guide people at night.
Mosaic
Forum at Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the background
Forum at Pompeii
Entrance to the market area
Close-up on the column surrounding the entry to the market
In the market
Fresco in the market
Cast of a victim of the eruption. The archaeologists pumped plaster into some of the holes in the hardened ash, and were able to create impressions of some of the people who suffocated in the ash when Vesuvius erupted. The city had about 3 days' notice that the volcano was about to erupt.
Dead person... note the teeth and finger bones
Artifacts uncovered found in Pompeii. Note the dead person on the shelf.
Dead person
Dead person...this woman was pregnant
Dead person, praying
Dead dog
Street in Pompeii
Street sign
Restaurant in Pompeii. Hot foods were kept warm in the holes.
Mosaic of a dog.
Garden inside one of the wealthier homes in Pompeii
The rain well in the same home
The Forum area in Pompeii
Castle in Napoli, the ugliest city in the world!
Fort in Napoli, the ugliest city in the world!
Leaving Napoli for Capri
Capri
A shrine on the coast of Capri
A view from the boat on Capri
Grotto on Capri
Inside the grotto on Capri
Fishermen, haven't a clue how they got to this place. There was no evidence of a boat or a trail.
A view from the top of a hill we walked up in Capri
Scott made a friend on Capri.
I just missed Scott's new friend rubbing up against Scott's cheek.
A street in Capri
Outside the Vatican Museum
A Belén in the Vatican Museum
Courtyard inside the Vatican
The Vatican
Cool painted ceiling in the Vatican
The Vatican: Floor mosaic
The Vatican: Hercules
Well, I expect she has trouble finding a bra.
Ceiling in the Vatican
The Vatican: This is actually painted, rather than sculpted. Remarkable use of perspective!
The Vatican: Cool maps of Italy lined the walls in one of the halls.
Outside the Sistine Chapel, heading toward Saint Peter's Basilica. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the Sistine Chapel.
Heading toward Saint Peter's Basilica
A bronze door to Saint Peter's Basilica
Saint Peter's Basilica
The Pieta by Michaelangelo in Saint Peter's Basilica
They dust in Saint Peter's Basilica!
And they change the altar cloths too.
Saint Peter's Basilica. This is the tomb of Pope Gregory XIII. According to the tour guide, 147 of the 265 popes are interred in Saint Peter's. Since the basilica wasn't built until the 1500's, they must have been burying popes in the earlier churches on the site. Either that, or we've been burning through popes at an alarming rate since the 1500's!
Belén inside Saint Peter's Basilica
Saint Peter's Square
The Swiss Guard in Saint Peter´s Square
Belén in Saint Peter´s Square
Saint Peter´s Square
Saint Peter´s Basilica
Sculpture on a bridge over the Tiber
The Tiber. We were blessed with lovely weather for our time in Rome.
Sculpture in Piazza del Populo in Rome
Obilisk in Piazza del Populo in Rome
Piazza del Populo in Rome
Graffiti on a statue. The Italian people appear to hold a special reverence for their political leaders.
View of Rome from a park
Trinita Dei Monti Church above the Spanish Steps
Trinita Dei Monti Church
The Borghese Chapel in Trinita Dei Monti Church
The view from Trinita Dei Monti Church above the Spanish Steps
The Belén on the Spanish Steps
A view from the Spanish Steps... and this is the off season!
The Spanish Steps. The steps are actually called the Escalinata della Trinita dei Monti. They're popularly called the Spanish Steps because they end up in the Piazza di Spagna.
An obilisk in Rome
A disturbing sculpture on a building
Wandering around Rome
Basilica of the Twelve Apostles
Belén inside the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles
Church of Jesus
Belén inside the Church of Jesus
Wandering around Rome, in Piazza Della Minerva
Belén inside the Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Another Belén inside the Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Scott is beginning to get artsy with "moon" shots.
View from Assisi
Assisi
Siena
The Duomo in Siena
Belén in the Duomo in Siena
Ceiling in the Duomo in Siena
Floor mosaic in the Duomo in Siena
The Duomo in Siena. Note the cool stripes on the columns; we saw this in a number of the churches in the northern cities, but not in the ones we visited in Rome.
Outside the Duomo in Siena. An interesting interpretation of Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome), who according to legend were suckled by a wolf. Since the Latin word for a female wolf was also slang for a prostitute, there is another interpretation of the legend.
Bell tower for the Duomo in Siena
Outside the Duomo in Siena
The Baptistery in Siena
Ceiling of the Baptistery
Sculptue by Donatello in the Baptistery
Sculpture by Donatello in the Baptistery
Il Campo Piazza in Siena.
Duomo in Florence
Sculpture on the Baptistery in Florence
Bronze door depicting stories from the bible on the Baptistery in Florence
The Bell Tower to the Duomo in Florence
Hercules Fountain in Florence
Florence
Perseus killing the Medusa
Sculpture outside the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge. This is the only bridge in Florence that Hitler did not destroy during World War II to delay the advancing Allied troops. He wanted to bring it back to Germany stone by stone.
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
View from the Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
In a Florence market place. According to tradition, if you rub the nose of the wart hog, you'll return to Florence some day.
The Duomo in Florence
The Belén in the Duomo
The dome of the Florence Duomo
A close-up on the painting in the dome of the Florence Duomo
A close-up on the painting in the dome of the Florence Duomo. These painters got morbid sometimes!
An illegal picture of the dome in the Prince's Chapel of Medici Chapels... photography isn't allowed in many of the tourist sites, but sometimes it seemed that we were the only ones following the rules.
Drinking wine in Tuscany
In a Florence market place
The Pitti Palace in Florence
A lovely view of the Arno river in Florence
The Santa Croce Chapel in Florence.
The Santa Croce Chapel in Florence. Scott is really getting into his moon shots...
View from our hotel room in Prato, outside Florence
Pisa... yes the Baptistery is leaning also. The ground under Pisa isn't the most stable.
Pisa... and the Tower
Pisa
Pisa...
The Baptistery in Pisa
The Pisa Cathedral
Ceiling in the Pisa Cathedral
The Belén in the Pisa Cathedral
Relic of Saint Guido... This is his skull!
Padreterno in Gloria, the Pisa Cathedral
A bird resting in the old wall surrounding the Field of Miracles in Pisa
The Leaning Tower
Palazzo dell' Arcivescovado in Pisa
Sculpture on a cool fountain in the Palazzo dell' Arcivescovado
Sculpture in the Palazzo dell' Arcivescovado
Palazzo dell' Arcivescovado
The Leaning Tower from the other side. Here you can really see how they attempted to straighten the tower as they built the upper stories...the leaning was apparent even during construction.
The top of the Leaning Tower
View of the Field of Miracles from the other side.
Sculpture on the Tower
View of the Apennines from the bus as we leave Pisa
Belén outside the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua. We were not allowed to take photos inside the Cathedral.
Belén outside the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua.
Venezia!
