Rome in Daylight

A backside view of the Victorian from the Forum.

Titus' Arch (on the inner wall of the arch, there is a fresco of the Titus' men plundering Jerusalem in AD 70.

Circus Maximus

The ceiling of one of the long corridors in the Vatican Museum.

Rapael's famous painting of Plato and Aristotole. I wanted to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel, but it was not allowed (of course, everyone was doing it anyway - nobody obeys laws in Italy!).

St. Peter's Basilica was impressive, even from a distance!

Looking up into the dome of St. Peter's.

Inside St. Peter's. According to church traditio, Peter was buried here where the church now stands, after being hung upside-down on a cross that stood out in the piazza (now marked by an oblisk).

Outside St. Peter's. The statues are the 12 apostles and Jesus. Each one is holding the instrument that was used to kill them.

One of the fountains in the Piazza of St. Peter's

The pope's fortress. There is supposedly an underground tunnel that leads from the Basilica to the castle... or something like that.

This was my favorite shot of St. Peter's!

La Bocca della Verita (the Mouth of Truth). I had to see this because it was in "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck =) It was actually not that easy to find! It was moved to inner wall of a church portico across the street from the piazza where it once hung.

First Night in Rome

It only took one night and I was in love... with Rome. It is the first city (outside of NY) that after spending several days there, I knew I could live there.

We took the train from Naples, checked into the hostel, and began our tour of Rome around 8pm. We continued sightseeing until 3ish, and were up by 7 that morning.


This building is the The National Monument to Vitorio Emanuelle II (a.k.a. the Victorian). It is not as old as most of the buildings in Rome (only just completed in the early 1900s), but it is certainly breath-taking!



The colosuem was an amazing sight both by streetlight and daylight! We actually ate dinner at a small restaurant right there. I mean, does it get any better than that... real Italian pizza and pasta, complete with a great view of the coloseum?!


Here is a view down the corridor (I don't know if that is really the right word) of the coloseum. This is where the Romani populi would crowd in from all sides to see the bloody ludi (games).


"This is the largest fountain in the world, bar none!" (in the words of my tour guide). 

Italy Pics cont'd... Pompeii

Now there is rather interesting story that goes along with these pictures, but I am not going to elaborate here. =)

We took the train to Pompeii (it's only a half hour south of Naples). The farther away from Naples we got, the prettier the scenery was. The picture below was taken through the window of the train.

Even before getting through the gate, some of the ruins can be seen. I was shocked at how huge the area of ruins at Pompeii really were! We did not even see it all, and I was amazed by all that I did see.

The mountain in the background is Vesuvian, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. It is still an active volcano. The last time it has done anything was in 1944. Still, 700,000 people live in the Vesuvian danger zone. I guess they aren't too worried that it will do to them what it did to the ancient Pompeiians.

I think these are Doric columns (Greek in origin, but the Romans appropriated much of Greek art and architecture).

On both sides of this cobblestone street are the remains of what used to be homes. Many of them have little plaques on them, denoting who lived in that particular spot in the 1st century.

Ionic columns at sunset (a little more ornate on top than the Doric columns).

This amphitheater seemed to appear out of nowhere. I literally gasped when I saw it. It was more impressive in real life. Some things just can't be captured on film (or SD card as the case may be =P).

I just liked this shot. The sunset was not vibrant, but it was beautiful.

Italy Pics...Naples

We flew over the Swiss Alps before landing in Milan, where we caught the connecting flight to Naples.

There was history everywhere! This is a plexiglass tile in the floor of a store. Below it, you can see an ancient well and some pottery that was found there.

I just LOVE this pic! My rather innovative collegue thought he was funny, making the Italian flag out of gummy bears. =) The gummy bears, by the way, were the real deal - straight from Germany and written in that language.

The BEST Neopolitan pizza in the world (as it should be since it is in Naples and has been for almost 200 years!). We were searching for da Michelle's... if you look at the sign, you will see why it was not the easiest thing to find. =P

This is a typical side street in Naples. Most were not this quiet, though... even at 1 a.m. there were people on vespas (motorcycles) everywhere.

A sailing ship in Napoli Bay. I think that is Vesuvius (the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79) in the background.

A pyramid of sorts, near the waterfront area of Naples. The way more modern structures were built right up against it is so typical of the Italians. One of the tour guides said they often did that to lend stability to the newer structures because the buiding of the Roman Empire were known for their strength and workmanship.

When I wasn't touring the town, this is where I was working (yup, I actually did work). =P

The Italian countyside, as seen from the window of a train, on the way to Rome.

Here are a Couple of Italy Pics

The ruins of Pompeii, and the volcanic mountain that caused it (which is also what preserved it).

The beautiful skyline of Rome!

An Italian garden up on Palatine Hill

The Colosseum from a distance

A Hostel Environment

It was like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life! The name on the front said "Yellow," but inside, the walls were a bright shade of red. Though it was in the heart of Rome, there was not a single Italian in the building, either staff or guest. American music blared at all hours of day or night in the main "chill out" area, but it could not be heard in the sleeping areas. Despite the fact that the rooms were not gender specific, the bathrooms and showers were surprisingly clean. The first room I stayed in had only one bunk bed and two single beds, the second had four sets of bunks, but both were pretty quiet and conducive to a good night's sleep, which is all I cared about (if sleeping from 4am to 7am counts as a good night's sleep - I guess I could have slept soundly anywhere at that point!). Most of the guys who worked there had great accents (English and Australian - my faves!), and they were very friendly and helpful. My female roommates were fun-loving girls from Oregon, who turned out to be great touring companions. We hopped a rid on the Metro over to Vatican City and went to the Vatican museum and the Basilica of St. Peter. After spending the previous day by myself, I was very grateful for the company. =)

So, while I was slightly hesitant about staying there after my coworker returned to the States, it turned out to be a great experience. It was unique, and maybe that was what made it so much fun. There was definitely a sense of adventure about it. Given the opportunity, I would stay at a hostel again... I think I might acually choose it over a hotel (depending on the location - I wouldn't recommend trying one in the Bronx or anything like that!).

"...and dthees one, he gay."

That was my favorite quote from my Italy trip. =) It was said by the waiter, who was showing us two fresh jumbo shrimp (Louisa and Luigi) and a fish on a plate, as he explained why they were a good choice as the entre' (the fish was the gay one because it did not have a mate). In any case, it was just so random, it made us laugh. The waiter's name, by the way, was Luigi. =P

I will be posting pictures as soon as I can spend the time getting them off of my camera and on the computer. I took over 600, so it will be difficult deciding which ones to post. =P