Pompeii

Link to Photos is HERE.

Everyone has heard of it. Pompeii, the city buried in ash by Mt Vesuvius (pictured above) and locked in place in time only to be excavated 1700 years later to reveal a never before seen detailed glimpse of life in the Roman Empire.

I have only have a few observations then some bullet points. First of all the city is much larger than I anticipated and there is still much more to be excavated. The whole complex is huge and some of the greatest treasures may yet to be found in outlying villas. We took a day tour from Rome that only went to the site but any visit include the Museum in nearby Naples which contain the artifacts found in Pompeii.

Our guide was a Dr. of archeology who has spent most of his life studying Pompeii. His book was for sale in the gift shot for something like $100. He held that the famous plaster castings of people who died in Pompeii were not actual copies as reported in many places including the big piece in National Geo. According to the good Dr. these are basically artistic renditions by archeologists based on the evidence found of a body and not in fact a plaster pouring into a cavity left by the body of the victim. This makes a great deal of sense, so I am inclined to believe him.

• A Brothel still stands with their "menu" pained on the wall in a fresco. Patrons would choose what they wanted with the corresponding number. "Give me a number seven".
• Many mosaics are still on site.
• Many frescos are still on the wall such as this one from the house of the huntsman.
• This is a poor picture, (the light was impossible for this shot) but we did get to see the famous floor mosaic that says "beware of dog" in Latin “Cave Canem”.
• My favorite shot of the day from inside one of the Baths.

Ancient Rome

Link to Photos is HERE.

I have switched photo processing software from Picasso to Lightroom. Lightroom is incredibly powerful in processing, but needs more options for web exportation. I might use Picassa for my export and develop in Lightroom. The jury is not in yet.

Here is a series of photos form our trip to Rome in August. They consist of the ancient structures around Rome that we visited such as the forum, coliseum, and the arch of Constantine (above).
Rome is the most historically rich city I have ever visited. Like Paris, you could spend a month and not see everything, but unlike Paris, Rome's observable history extends back several thousand years.

Though Rome is everything you would expect there were some surprises. Construction workers found a complex of ancient temples to Roman gods some years ago. They have been excavated and converted in a sanctuary for Cats of all things. The cats gather around the alters and steps and its does not take much imagination to feel like they are there to attend to these old gods. The cats are apparently prized in some fashion as at least one person hired someone to catnap one from the complex.

Palatine hill is a must see. It is the historical birthplace of Rome and the seat of Roman emperors. Mussolini’s Presidential Palace was built there and it still stands bearing his imperial eagle.

City of Rome

Link to Photos is HERE.

These photos are processed in Ligthroom, but exported to the web with Picassa. I am still undecided what looks best--feedback would be great.

This is my collection of photos from the visit to Rome that are more general to the city and landscape oriented. There are shots of ancient Rome, modern Rome, The Vatican, and anything else of note in and around the city that we saw.

We did a night walk in Rome that included the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain. Trevi is very crowded with tourists, but you can still get a good look at it--no wading allowed. Also on the night walk was the column of Marcus Aerilius. I really liked this column, but I failed to capture it well in the picture. It is worth the detour to go see. The detail of the carvings are impressive to say the least.

On the drive to Pompeii we got a good look at Monte Cassino. This was the site of brutal fighting during WWII where the Germans attempted to hold the allied advance from a prepared defensive line. This battle had notable participation and casualty from the 2nd core free Polish who fought with the allies vs several division of German troops that were in positions around the monastery. Its value as a strategic position is easy to see even today.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon is now a Catholic Church, but began its life as the temple to all the gods which a statue of each in surrounding the structure inside. It is a massive dome of poured concrete hints at what Rome must have looked like in its peak and to the brilliance of its builders. There is a large opening the roof to let natural light in and the original brass and lead drainage for rain is still in use in the floor.

Raphael is entombed within as is the last king of Italy in the Savoy line--a controversial figure for Italians.
It has its original doors, polished marble and porphyry floors. Besides the Christian trappings it is much the way it was when it was built in Pagan Rome.

Vatican City

Link to the photos is HERE.

I am very late in getting these out, but so not much that the trip is not fresh in the mind.

Rome is an incredible city. We saw so much this trip I need to split this into at least four entries in the travel blog: Vatican, Pantheon, Ancient Rome, and Pompeii (not in Rome of course).

We also visited the Bourgase gallery, and the Etruscan Museum, but photographs where not allowed in the later, and I have lost my photo's from the Borghese gallery.

You can split the Vatican into three parts: St. Peter's, Vatican Museum, and the Castle of St. Angelo. The later being actually part of Rome, but with a history that ties it closely to the Vatican.

The first thing to note At St Peter's is that they are very serious about not permitting anyone to enter with bare shoulders or bare thighs---Male or Female.

Also, at the entrance are the Swiss guards, which I got a cool shot of right here.

St. Peters is by the far the most magnificent building I have every seen. It is thought that the vision of its architects, which included Michelangelo, was to "place the dome of the pantheon placed on top the Basilica of Constantine". Take note of the how the building captures the light and sends it into the cathedral in beams and giving ethereal contrasts with the cold marble. This is not a testament to my ability with photography, but to the skill of the builders and architects in making a structure the captures the light.

If the simple building where not enough to impress the inside is pact with altars, and crypts of carved marble and stone unlike anything I have seen. The selection of carvings includes the well known Pieta.

We visited the crypts beneath the Vatican that contained the remains of many Popes stretching back 1000 years. No pictures allowed there of course.

The Vatican Museum is difficult to do justice in even a single day. Though not as massive as the Louvre, at least in displays, it has many extremely important historical pieces: The Sistine chapel, the school of Athens, and my favorite, the room of Constantine. Look at this roof of the room of Constantine--my photo washes out the incredible 3d effect, but you can get the idea by keeping in mind that this is about the size of a tennis court.

I have a fascination with the history Constantinople. As such the sarcophagus of Helena and Constantina where an great surprise for me.
Fully Gallery is here.