Embedded Files
St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City will capture your breath and imagination. Walking into this massive structure, you almost forget that this is the church of the Pope, and it feels more like a great art museum. The sculptures and frescoes are everywhere to the delight of your eyes and senses.
I had visited the Vatican several times, but one night as I was heading to catch a bus, I got caught in the rain. Already wet, I squatted down on the cobblestones and took this photo. Looking a bit like a hobo, I got several looks on the bus ride back to my hotel.
Pieta (Michelangelo)
Altar, St. Peter's
Vatican Square
I had the opportunity to see the Pope twice while I was in Rome. Not far from St Peter's is the Sistine Chapel with its magnificent Michelangelo frescoes on the ceiling.
I didn't expect that the chapel was the Vatican Museum too. It was incredible to have had the opportunity to just walk the winding hallways and witness the huge amount of art leading to the Sistine Chapel. Passing through an old wooden door I was to suddenly find myself in the chapel. What an experience to look up and imagine Michelangelo doing his work there! Unfortunately for me, there is a strict rule about taking any photos in the Chapel. I stood out with my pro equipment, and they watched me like a hawk, making sure that I did not take any.
There is a "secret" door that leads from the inside of the museum and runs directly through the Vatican's back street to the square. You have to be able to walk several sets of stairs, but it will cut the time needed to get back in half. If there isn't anyone around, you can get into the passageway and the street and save some time getting back to the square
The Vatican and Rome are two places that I won't soon forget.
Trevi Fountain in the heart of Rome is a guaranteed place to see lots of tourists. In my wandering of Rome, I would pass the fountain on several occasions and always ran into mobs of tourists tossing their three coins in the fountain for good luck. Seeing it during the day or at night is a thrill.
I wandered back late one evening and was able to find the streets quite empty and quiet.
Rome is full of wonderful ancient sights that just bump into you as you wander the city. It has a great feeling of warmth and comfort yet it is a modern busy city. The food, especially the homemade pasta, was worth the time walking the city and stumbling on great local restaurants. I did this quite often and was lucky to find several small family-run restaurants that served only fresh, homemade foods.
The classic Roman Colosseum is truly a wonder to behold. One can imagine the gladiators and the people of ancient Rome as you look around and enjoy this magnificent building.
Don't miss the famous Trevi fountain, the Forum, and the architectural wonder of the Pantheon.
Rome is a living museum with history and ancient architecture everywhere. Just strolling the small back streets yields the feel of this ancient city. Restaurants line the boulevards, and this is Italian food!
The Pantheon is a former Roman temple. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome
After I had completed my work in Italy I had the opportunity to take a few days off and explore more on my own. I traveled from Rome by train to the coastal city of Salerno. The train ride was comfortable and through my window, I could see the beautiful Italian countryside. The ride included a stop in Naples and passing Pompeii the vast archaeological site buried under meters of ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
From Salerno, I caught a bus to the Amalfi coast where I eventually found the beautiful village overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Amalfi. Each turn revealed a new site and watching these small villages with their beautiful homes surrounded by lemon trees was simply, great!
Near the front steps of the Amalfi Cathedral, I found a quiet cafe where I enjoyed the local wine and people-watched. Filled with art, antiques, and picturesque windows I was to spend much time here.
During the off-season, Amalfi is quiet but filled with scenes of the locals doing what locals do!
On a nice hike up the mountain from Amalfi, you will find the small town of Revello. It was here where Richard Wagner composed the second act of the opera Parsifal in 1880, and D.H. Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover in 1927.
Gore Vidal, the noted American author, lived and wrote in Ravello for over thirty years, eventually becoming an honorary citizen.
Ravello is a small village of under 2500 people, but it has a charm that embodies the Amalfi coast's small places. If you are not into the hike, there is a bus that will take you there from Amalfi.
The Amalfi Coast is famous for Limoncello. Traditionally, limoncello is made from the zest of Femminello St. Teresa lemons, also known as Sorrento or Sfusato lemons. Lemon zest, or peels without the pith, is steeped in rectified spirit until the oil is released. The local lemons that grow along the coast were some of the largest I have ever seen. They were also used in many of the local foods. Besides the famous limoncello drink, I was to enjoy pasta with lemon sauce, fish cooked in lemons, lemon gelato, and many other wonderfully zesty treats! One of the best pastries I've ever tasted is made with these lemons. Head to the small town of Minori, just a few miles east of Amalfi, to find it!
The bus trip along the coastal road is not for the faint of heart. Of all the trips I have encountered this is one of the most frightening. The buses pass within inches of one another. You are within inches of the guardrail and the very high cliffs that plunge into the sea. I asked an old man sitting next to me if there were many deaths on this road. This old Italian man just smiled and said to me, "It is a death of honor for Italians."
I spent several days on the coast making my way to several small coastal villages: Positano, Ravello, Minori, Majori, and Cetara, a beautiful fishing village not far from Salerno.
This was not tourist season, and although many things were closed, I was able to enjoy the sights and the locals in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. I sat with fishermen as they played cards and had a meal of freshly made pasta prepared especially for me by a local woman. Watching the locals performing their daily routines, the children coming and going to school, while sitting in an outdoor cafe sipping an espresso, is a great way to spend several quiet days in Italy.
Positano is only 17 kilometers from Amalfi, but it takes nearly an hour to reach the winding Amalfi coast road. Known to many European tourists and only a short ferry ride to Capri, Positano is a beautiful village located on a hill. I was lucky to find a small hotel operated by a family that graciously opened the hotel just for me.
I visited Positano during the offseason and was very fortunate to find this family. The grandmother called me down to their apartment and served me a wonderful homemade lunch, which I shared with her husband. He and I later descended the over 400 steps from the hotel to the beach and walked to a coffee shop where I joined his old fishermen buddies. A real treat!
A word to the wise traveler, visiting Positano and much of the coast during the tourist season probably isn't a great idea. It gets very crowded with tourists, and it is very, very expensive. I would avoid this place unless you can get there in the off-season. I was very fortunate to visit when I did. I had the beach to myself, and although most of the tourist places were closed, I was able to experience it like a local!
The movie Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed here.
You need your hiking legs in Positano. Walking through the city takes you through small hilly roads and lots of stairs. Be prepared.
The man on the left was the owner of the small hotel that opened up a room for me. Not speaking English, he motioned to me to follow him one morning and brought me to the beach, where we first went to a coffee shop, where he introduced me to his fishing buddies. I later saw him having a pleasant conversation with his friend on the beach.
Looking out my hotel window early one morning I was able to catch the sunrise filtering through the morning clouds in Positano. The sun came out later and although a cold February day, the time spent here was well worth it. This was a nice quiet time in this part of Italy and I can imagine how busy and full of tourists the Amalfi coast would be during the summer. Glad I was able to experience the quiet time.
I had a short visit to Florence and Pisa one that was not planned. I had finished some work in Rome and met several colleagues for breakfast early one morning. I asked them what they were planning for the day, and they informed me that they were going to take the train to Florence and then to Pisa. They invited me to go and at first, I declined. After some discussion, they convinced me to go back to my room, get my cameras, and join them. With just fifteen minutes to decide before the taxi came, I accepted the offer to join them. Neither of them had ever been to Florence, so this was going to be an experience for all of us. One of them, Viktor was from Ukraine, the other, Rosa, from Ecuador, and neither had been to Italy before this trip. The day turned out to be hectic but wonderful!
Florence is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. Every turn on the cobblestone streets treats your senses. From art, shopping, architecture, and food, this city doesn't stop. Stopping for lunch with several friends, we found a great local restaurant that served some of the finest pasta dishes I've ever had. Coupled with a nice Italian wine this lunch would be one that I would remember and will try again on a future visit to Florence. I was only able to spend a short time visiting Florence, but the time was well spent and I was able to leave feeling that I had experienced something that I would like to do again soon!
This is the art capital of the Western world and one of the highlights of my life, to see Michelangelo's David. This photo is of a replica that is outside of a museum in the center of Florence. The original, which is much larger, is housed in a beautiful art museum, the Galleria dell' dell'Accademia. No photos are allowed, and my professional equipment and I were watched like a hawk! There were few people there the day I visited so I had the opportunity to be able to view from all angles and marvel at this masterpiece. It was an incredible experience to walk into the museum, turn the corner from a small gallery, and see the massive work of art in a very simple but appropriate setting. The lighting was perfect, and with few others around I was to be alone with the masterpiece.
Returning from Florence, we took a speedy trip to Pisa... off the train, took a taxi, walked around for just a few minutes with the taxi waiting, and back to the train station before our train returned to Rome. Enough time to have a fun story of the "Amazing Race" to Pisa! I hope I will visit this city again, but this time spend some quality time there!
A gem in northern Italy, Venice is one of my all time favorite cities. The small city located on the Adriatic lagoon is one of the most unique settings for a city.
Venice has a long history of being a merchant's paradise and is known for its beautiful canals, famous seafood dishes and blown glassworks.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview a couple while there for some work I was doing. He and his wife showed us the hidden parts of the city as well as a wonderful family owned restaurant where we enjoyed the pastas and famous shrimp Risotto.
The back side of the famous Doge's Palace at St Mark's Square in Venice
As I was heading to a restaurant to enjoy a Venitian pizza I crossed a small canal and shot this image.
A short slideshow of my travel on the Amalfi coast.
Google Sites
Report abuse