Rome, Florence, and Venice - Italy Shines!
Our second international trip was in September, 2005 to see Rome, Florence, and Venice in Italy. We had magnificent weather, toured from sunup to sundown, and saw all the major sites, and then some. We also attended a mass in St. Peter's Square performed by Pope Benedict. Unfortunately I caught a bad cold in Florence and did not take as many pictures in Florence and Venice.
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We flew into Rome and our first stop was to see the Colosseum. It was truly a sight inside and out. We then walked to the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forum. We couldn't believe there were modern building and cars surrounding these magnificent, 2,000 year old sites. We also saw Palatine Hill and the Circus Maximus, although there wasn't much to see there.
Our first stop was the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The Colosseum was built between 70 and 80 A.D. and held up to 80,000 spectators for games. It's an amazing structure that is well intact. In some of the photos you can see the floor and the structures and cages below where animals and prisoners were kept.
Here's a panoramic of the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the Roman Forum.
Here are photos of the Roman Forum. It's surrounded by the ruins of a number of important government buildings, and was the center of life. Some of the photos are taken from Palatine Hill, which contain some of the oldest ruins of Rome.
This photo is the stone where Julius Caesar was cremated after his assassination.
The next series of photos are of the Pantheon, an early Roman temple and now a Catholic church. We visited the Pantheon during the day, then returned at night for some photo ops.
The Trevi Fountain was built in the 17th century at the terminal point of three roads and an aqueduct that served water to Rome. It's a beautiful fountain and we visited during the daytime and at night. Here's some photos.
We visited the Vatican and also attended an outdoor mass. The Sistine Chapel was a bit of a disappointment because there were so many people there, we were quickly herded through like cattle. St. Peter's was fantastic. There's a obelisk in the square with running water. We filled up our water bottles with the most delicious water.
We attended mass said by Pope Benedict in St. Peter's Square.
Here's the mausoleum of Pope John Paul II. There's also a photo of another Pope's mausoleum, but I forget his name.
The Sistine Chapel was beautiful, but as I said earlier, was very crowded and we were rushed through it. I only got a few photos.
Ponte Sant'Angelo is a bridge that spans the Tiber River and was used by pilgrims to access St. Peter's Basilica. It is dominated by the Castel Sant'Angelo, a castle along the Tiber.
These photos were taken in 2005, but I wrote about them in 2020. I do not remember what the next photos are, but they are cool. And I made friends with a cat, which I always enjoy.
Here's a photo of the CIrcus Maximus which was an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue. There are very few ruins left.
Palatine Hill is centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." The site is now mainly a large open-air museum while the Palatine Museum houses many finds from the excavations here and from other ancient Italian sites.
Imperial palaces were built here, starting with Augustus. Before imperial times the hill was mostly occupied by the houses of the rich. It provides some nice views of Rome and the Forum.
Here's a photo of the Fountain of Neptune, near Piazza Navona.
Here's two photos of the Piazza Navona.
Here's a photo of the Spanish Steps. are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top.
Here's a photo of a piazza and one of the many obelisks in Rome. I have forgotten the name of both.
We took the train to Florence. Ken was sick and actually laid on a bench outside the Duomo until a police officer rousted him and told him to get up. So there aren't a lot of pictures of Florence. We visited the the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo), which was beautiful inside and out. We toured the Uffizi Gallery, where we saw the Statue of David and other great art. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the Uffizi in 2005 (you can do so now), but I included stock images of the Statue of David and Birth of Venus for reference to what we saw. We also walked through, shopped in, and photographed the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio.
Here are some photos of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo).
Here's a photo of the Uffizi Gallery which is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Center of Florence. It houses Michelangelo's Statue of David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. I've included two stock images of these works of art as photo's were not allowed in the gallery.
Here's a photo the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio.
Our last stop was in Venice. I was feeling a bit better then, and we walked the streets, took a gondola ride and relaxed near the Piazza San Marco and watched people. We took a gondola ride and saw the Rialto Bridge over the canal, the Grand Canal, the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, St. Marks Cathedral, St. Marks Bell Tower, and the Doge's Palace.
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We also took a boat to the island of Murano where they are famous for their Murano glass. We bought two glass sculptures and had them shipped home.
Here are some photos of our gondola ride and walk along the canals.
Here is a photo of St. Mark's Basilica. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge's Palace.
Here is St. Mark's Campanile with St. Mark's Basilica in the background. Located in Saint Mark's Square, Venice's former governmental center, the campanile was initially built as a watchtower to sight approaching ships and protect the entry to the city. It also served as a landmark to guide Venetian ships safely into harbor.
The Piazza San Marco near sunset.
Here's a photo of Doge's Palace, the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic. It was built in 1340.
Here's a photo of one of the piece of glass we bought in Murano, a series of islands off Venice. Murano is famous for making Venetian glass.
