Colosseum, exterior

Of course, any visit to Rome requires a stop by the Colosseum. Here are a couple of exterior views. To say it is a massive structure is an understatement. Yes, it is large but it is massive in the sense that it is a huge pile of brick and stone, well-constructed to last centuries.

DSC_3435In fact, later generations used the Colosseum as a quarry for stone to build other buildings through the centuries. Moving slightly closer:

DSC_3383The design has survived the ages, forming the basis for most large public venues in the modern era. The Romans figured all this out and stuck with it almost two thousand years ago. The next post will show the inside. Stay tuned.

Published in: on November 9, 2018 at 12:11 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Pompeii, painted walls

While visiting Pompeii, you’ll find plenty of marvels, from the theater to the villas to the brothel, not to mention the technological wonders like the baths. What strikes the eye, however, are the interior decorations of the villas, specifically the painted walls.

DSC_3154One gets the sense of how the Roman people adorned their living spaces.

DSC_3186The scenes can be quite lively or rather mundane, no doubt based upon the resident’s taste.

DSC_3187

The artists of the era must have been extremely busy because there were paintings after paintings covering large walls in all the villas. And these are only the ones recovered from the disaster. Surely there were more.

Published in: on October 30, 2018 at 11:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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Sistine Chapel

As part of the “Waking the Vatican” tour, one can enjoy the Sistine Chapel with a few dozen other visitors. This is a marvelous experience, seeing the work of Michaelangelo in an almost private moment. As large as the chapel is, it does feel private. Here’s a video showing the chapel.

Amazing. Seriously. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend this experience. Do your homework about the art and history of the place in order to get the most out of it. Linger as long as possible.

Hall of Maps, Vatican Museum

The Hall of Maps is surely one of the highlights of the Vatican Museum. During the “Waking the Vatican” tour, a visitor has the privilege of standing in the darkness as the key master switches on the lights. Here’s a video showing our reaction:

It was an impressive experience. Of course, once your eyes adjust to the light the maps are easy to see and brilliant renditions for the time they were created. This tour is worth every cent. I’ll post photos showing some of the maps at a later date.

Published in: on October 28, 2018 at 11:19 am  Comments (1)  
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