Since it’s only six sleeps before I leave for Italy, I’ve been spending some time looking through photos and notes from my trip last year.  One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Vatican Museum and grounds.  I’m excited just thinking about it.
The nice people at Detroit Public Television were kind enough to offer me a review set of Secrets of the Vatican Collection, a 5-disc DVD documentary that is a wonderful profile of the Vatican, it’s history, art, life, and day-to-day workings.  This small city state, located a stone’s throw from Rome, has a rich …read more

World in Focus – Travel photography contest open to professionals and amateurs.  Maybe you could win that grand prize – a 10 day safari in Tanzania.
AAA Travel Views – I found myself nodding in agreement as the author explained that he wasn’t a typical Branson visitor, but he made an exception for Paul Revere & the Raiders.  Since they were a band from my teen years, I can relate.
Intelligent Travel – It’s winter down under, and Vivid Sydney is a cultural extravaganza designed to turn the city into a canvas of light and sound.
The Amsterdam Guide – When’s the …read more

The Coliseum in Rome is the largest remaining monument of Imperial Rome, and is the top landmark in a city full of landmarks.
Built between AD 72-80, the Coliseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater and was the center of the city of Rome.  It was the first and the largest (it covers about six acres) permanent amphitheater built in the Roman Empire.
The exterior of the building consisted of four floors – three tiers of arches and an attic. On top of the attic were a series of brackets and sockets that allowed a shade to be pulled over the …read more

Location:  A vacant hallway at the Vatican.  The artwork on the ceiling was as intricate and detailed as that on the walls.  And the floor was so shiny that it might as well have been a mirror.
 
Image credit:  Personal collection
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The imposing cylindrical Castel Sant’Angelo, situated along the Tiber River in Rome, was built between 123 and 129 AD.  It was first known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, serving as the resting grounds for the ashes of the Roman emperor.  Ashes of Hadrian’s family, as well as subsequent emperors, joined him there.
The tomb was ransacked during one of Rome’s less civilized periods, and the Castel Sant’angelo was later used as a fortress (Popes hid out here), castle (connected to St. Peter’s Basilica by a covered corridor), and prison (executions were held in the interior square). 
Today it is the …read more

Trevi Fountain, or more properly Fontana di Trevi, is Rome’s most spectacular and popular fountain.  And in a city with so many impressive fountains, that’s very high praise!
The Baroque-style fountain, designed by architect Nicola Salvi, is located in a busy section of the city, not far from the popular Via del Corso.
To get to the fountain you walk down narrow streets, some of which seem more like alleys than streets, to the historic center of Rome.  You can hear the noise of the fountain as your approach the piazza, and it gets louder as you approach. …read more

I’m bringing you another photo from my trip to Italy, this one of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
I’m in Tuscany now, and hope to share some additional photos from my week here at a farmhouse.

Rome has been wonderful so far, and I regret that my time here was so short.  Everywhere you turn there is such a sense of history and wonder. 
My first real impression of the city was coming up from the subway (Colosseo stop) and finding this in front of you.  It literally took my breath away!  Seeing it in books and photos cannot do justice to the sense of awe I felt at seeing this piece of the beginning of civilization.
Photo credit:  personal collection
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I’m headed off to Italy for a couple weeks!
I’m traveling with some good friends, and am looking forward to seeing various part of that wonderful country.  Art, culture, music. . . and, let’s face, it the great food and wine doesn’t hurt either.
You’ll still have lots of posts here at Flyaway Cafe, some I’ve done before leaving, some I’ll do on the road, and I’ll also have some guest posts from some of my travel blogging friends.  There will be lots to keep you entertained, so just because I’m gone, doesn’t mean you should be too!
To celebrate my first stop …read more