Italian Vacation

We've just come back from two weeks in Italy.  What an absolutely fabulous vacation (which, by the way, will certainly yield inspiration for several paintings) - that you will learn a lot about - if only through my photographs.  

Starting with Rome where we entered Italy:

Above is our other entry - into ancient Rome through the Coliseum.  Ask yourself how many books (fiction and nonfiction), films, paintings,and photographs you've read or seen in which this edifice figured.  All I know was all those printed words and images faded from my mind as I walked through the entryway to ancient history.  Do I sound a bit too poetic?  Probably.  I am trying to find a way to tell you how moving entering this place was for me.

Surprisingly enough, the Coliseum seemed smaller than I expected . . . until I realized the ruins of the passageways below "ground level" seemed to fill up a space I thought would be empty.  You might see what I mean in the photo below.

But that doesn't mean that it wasn't any less beautiful.  My favorite daytime photo is the one below where you can see the "modern", colorful buildings through the Coliseum's archways.  I have to remind myself all things are relative; the buildings through the archways are modern only in relation to the age of the Coliseum.

The following are just some random photos I took on our way back to our B&B for a rest and supper.

Below is a mosaic on the corner of a building near our B&B.  While religious plaques are common, this one struck me as particularly lovely.

You will discover I have a fondness for certain things like doors, windows, shadows, architectural details, well - many things.  Here's a photo that includes a couple of those things.

Oh, and I also love patterns - like the floor in the Pantheon.

And light - here's the opening in the dome of the Pantheon that lets in air and light.

This is a fun shot of everyday people in the rain going about their everyday lives - a moment captured simply because I was taking a picture of a gorgeous building.

This is just a, "Wow, look at that strange car!" picture.

And one of my very favorite photographs from Rome - the Colliseum at night.

Never thought I'd see that!