Tuscany and Rome

In the Duomo

will — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:32:20 GMT

In the Duomo

At an altar of votive candles in the Duomo of Siena.

Will and Olivia at the Colosseum

will — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:26:33 GMT

Will and Olivia at the Colosseum

Will and Olivia at the Colosseum in Rome.

Siena: Zoe and her stroller

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:02:37 GMT

Siena: Zoe and her stroller

My niece, Zoe pushes her toy stroller through the Piazza del Campo in central Siena.

Siena: Panorama

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:00:50 GMT

Siena: Panorama

A panoramic view of Siena, looking toward the Piazza, from the turrets on the roof of the Museo del Opera del Duomo, next to the Duomo proper.

Siena: The dome of the Duomo

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:55:49 GMT

Siena: The dome of the Duomo

The immense, hexagonal dome of the Duomo with its pattern of stars.

Siena: In the nave of the Duomo

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:54:19 GMT

Siena: In the nave of the Duomo

The black and white stone gives Siena's Duomo a striking look, inside and out.

Siena: Floor of the Duomo

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:50:29 GMT

Siena: Floor of the Duomo

Detail of the carved floor of the Duomo cathedral and museum in Siena, in north Tuscany. The floor is covered by magnificent carvings done over a period of several hundred years by many artists. It is only uncovered part of the year, fortunately for us while we were there.

Rome: Mannequins

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:45:23 GMT

Rome: Mannequins

A portly gentleman admires a row of extremely slender mannequins at the Valentino exhibit at Augustus' crypt.

Rome: Fashionistas

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:44:07 GMT

Rome: Fashionistas

Two elderly women scrutinize a display of Valentino fashion at the building that also, oddly, houses the crypt of Augustus Caesar.

Rome: Sun worshipper

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:39:37 GMT

Rome: Sun worshipper

What else need be said?

Rome: Awaiting the Pope at St. Peter's

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:30:58 GMT

Rome: Awaiting the Pope at St. Peter's

St. Peter's Square very effectively stamps the majesty and grandeur of the Roman Catholic Church upon your consciousness even if, like Imagethief, you are non-observant Jew. Arranged in the square are tens of thousands of empty chairs awaiting the masses that attend appearances by the Pope.

Rome: Kitsch at the Pantheon

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:27:37 GMT

Rome: Kitsch at the Pantheon

The Pantheon may be a marvel of Imperial engineering and a sacred Catholic church today (see the dome photograph for more), but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a little kitsch with it, such as having your photo taken with a pair of mock Roman soldiers. In fact, dressing up in costume and busking seems to be rather a Roman specialty. We also saw a busking Egyptian sarcophagus, a marble statue on the Pont San Angelo, a bronze cowboy and one or two other characters sweating under heavy makeup.

Rome: The dome of the Pantheon

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:25:17 GMT

Rome: The dome of the Pantheon

Built by Augustus' general Marcus Agrippa (who's name is incribed on the front) and rebuilt by Hadrian about a century later, it's a Catholic church today. It is immense and gives you a real appreciation of Roman Imperial engineering. The unsupported dome is 43 meters high. That hole in middle is six meters wide. It was cast in poured concrete which, apparently, the Romans were expert in.

Rome: The Forum

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:22:55 GMT

Rome: The Forum

There are a few times in my life where the first site of something has made me nearly dizzy with a sense of accumulated history. I got that feeling the first time I saw Mao's portrait over the Forbidden City, the first time I saw the Great Wall and, just for variety, the first time I saw the Mississippi River. I certainly got it when I walked up the Capitoline steps and saw the ruins of Rome's Forum for the first time.

Visible in this picture are the remains of the temple of Saturn (at center) the front of which bears an incription of the motto of Rome, "Senatus Populus Que Romanus" (Senate and People of Rome - SPQR). At left is the arch of Setimius Severus, which partially obscures the reconstructed Curia (Republican senate house). At the right edge is the Palatine hill where once was one of the founding villages of Rome and later the Imperial palace complex, looking toward the Forum from one side and the Circus Maximus at the other. In the background are the Temple of Antoninus (spared destruction in the middle ages as it was consecrated into a church), the remains of the immense Basilica of Maxentius and, just peeking over the very back, the Colosseum.

Rome: Sunset in the Colosseum

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:12:44 GMT

Rome: Sunset in the Colosseum

The Colosseum, just a shade under 2,000 years old, is one of those places where you really feel the weight of human history. It also gives you a real appreciation of the ingenuety of Rome's engineers. It once seated nearly 70,000 people, had assigned seating and to this day remains every bit as comfortable and modern as Candlestick Park (now Monster Park). We were there just before sunset and caught the last of the sun through the arches in the west wall.

Rome: Nick, Nancy and the Colosseum

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:09:36 GMT

Rome: Nick, Nancy and the Colosseum

We caught the Colosseum in the early evening, as the sun was getting low and the light beautiful (and the admission free). Here is a family shot of my mother and brother taking a break after our hot walk through the Forum.

Rome: Gypsy beggar

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:07:41 GMT

Rome: Gypsy beggar

Central rome is gorgeous and prosperous. It does, however, have a lot of beggars and hard cases, many of whom seem to be Romany Gypsies.

Radicofani: The fortress of Ghino di Tacco

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:05:55 GMT

Radicofani: The fortress of Ghino di Tacco

Radicofani is a town that abuts a nearly conical hill at the foot of Mt. Amiata in the Val d'Orcia. At the summit of the hill is the fortress of the "gentleman bandit", Ghino di Tacco, of the late 13th century. To a PR man, "gentleman bandit" sounds like "warlord with good PR".

Montepulchiano: Tiny Fiat, big guy

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:55:57 GMT

Montepulchiano: Tiny Fiat, big guy

The Fiat 500 is legendary for its tiny size. How tiny? Here is my brother, Nick, posing next to one. Admittedly, my brother is 6' 4" (about 2 meters). Still, that's a tiny little car.

Montepulchiano: Brooding clouds in the piazza

will — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:52:37 GMT

Montepulchiano: Brooding clouds in the piazza

It was gray and rainy the day we were in the famous wine town of Montepulchiano. That made the city look moody, but it didn't stop us from drinking a lot of Montepulchiano's fine Vin Nobile.