...for some reason Blogger didn't save all the captions that I did, so I'll put those in now.
I'm picking up this post after three days of being sick--I'm now recovering from a 104 degree fever, but God is good and I have wonderful people who are looking after me now!
That being said, here are some of my favorite shots from the past week:
These columns (featured on the church below) are on the square that houses Trajan's forum, right in the heart of ancient Rome. It's next to the Victor Emmanuel Monument--a part of the city so full of history and cobblestones that I can just smell the stories lingering everywhere.
This big guy is on a huge fountain in the Piazza del Quirinale, a large, open part of the city surrounded by government buildings.
Trajan's forum itself!
<3 Italia
...water in the Trevi fountain...
...a rose AND the Trevi fountain? Does it get much better than this?!
Trevi water, again. I couldn't restrain myself.
On my to-do list: get an apartment in the city and plant a rooftop garden. With herbs and lots of flowers, and possibly a couple reclining garden chairs.
One day, in our meanderings, we meandered across a huge protest. It rattled most of Centro Storico (historic center of Rome), actually, and the police presence was huge--there were definitely some army chaps around as well. We never discovered what they were protesting, though. (we also never felt unsafe).
Victor Emmanuel monument at night!
This is one of my few good shots from the Pantheon--I was really disappointed in my photos from the day I toured it. It's simply stunning--a perfect sphere inside, awe-inspiring, ancient. I couldn't capture the majesty of it all.
I can't wait to visit again when it isn't overcast--it was beautiful, but it would be something else with sunlight streaming through the 27-foot-diameter whole in the coffered ceiling.
Like most of the historic buildings of Rome, the Pantheon has actually been turned into a church (feel free to be surprised--I had no idea). It houses this fresco, which is actually one of the oldest Christian frescoes in existence. In fact, you can go still to Mass in the Pantheon today!
...I just like the pedestal in this one. Kinda funky. :) This guy's next to Michelangelo's steps, leading to the Capitoline Museum on the Capitoline Hill (who'd have thought?).
Same location, one of two twin statues by the master himself!
One of the three buildings that houses the museum. Forgive the gray pictures--a storm was rolling in. The horse and rider in the center is the one and only Marcus Aurelius (yep, like in Gladiator), the philosopher-emperor. It's one of the only statues of its kind that was preserved through the empire's conversion to Christianity--they thought it was Constantine, so they didn't melt it down. This one is only a replica--the real one is inside, and is absolutely massive.
Constantine! (and Heidi) The complete statue must have been colossal.
Some of the loveliest details of the Capitoline were easily missed--this gem is one of the ceilings in one of the stairwells. I love the symmetry and detail... it's just lovely.
A blown-glass chandelier--several of these lit the museum.
This is the Spinario, allegedly a sculpture made to honor a little shepherd boy who ran for miles to deliver an important message to the Roman Senate, and only paused to remove a large thorn from his foot after he had accomplished his mission. I just love how natural it looks--the little tilt to his head is so right.
Roma, through a window. :) I still smile, every time.
Romulus and Remus getting fed by their lovely nursemaid. Their chubby baby-legs crack me up.
Roman skyline...
This is Bernini's Medusa. I love the raw emotion captured here--he displays what an awful existence of isolation she would have led, of being a monster...
Artemis/Diana, like the statues that the silversmiths would have made in Ephesus when Paul came through. I don't think this is the statue that they started a riot over, though.
Hercules! The attention to details in the muscles are insane, and the action captured is pretty impressive.
The Roman Forum itself. :)
Ocean/Poseidon. This statue was also massive... to give some scale, look at that little black thing bending over to the left of the statue's foot. That's a person. This statue was actually a "talking" statue in its day--it was a place where dissatisfied citizens posted notes about how they hated the government.
This is the "Dying Gaul", one of my favorite statues. It's beautiful, detailed, and carries such a depth of emotion. I was really disappointed because it was one of the three rooms in the entire museum that was being renovated, so I couldn't see the whole statue, and it was the one I had been looking forward to the most... but I saw so much beautiful art that I can't complain!
Roma... to be continued!!
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