Impressions of Italy (Part 1)

There are just too many pictures. And I'm too lazy to check out flickr.

Here's my personal "best of".

Note - The pictures don't look their best because I've resized for faster uploading.


Part 1 - Civilisation

We spent the first night in Rome before heading off to Cinque Terre on Day 2. This picture was taken from somewhere at the top of the Vittorio Emanuelle II monument when we returned to Rome for Days 12-15.

I like it cos it has the flag, the church domes, statues and traffic. Rome is nothing without its traffic!




Here's the facade of the Pantheon, formerly a pagan temple to all gods, now one of the endless supply of Santa Maria something churches.

Its dome is pretty spectacular, with a hole measuring 9m across at its apex, open to the sky. In the daytime the sunlight pours in, dramatically lighting up the interior. Nothing particularly exciting inside, other than the tombs of Rafael and some kings.

The Pantheon was about a minute's walk from our apartment, so we passed it everyday. From there, it's a two-minute walk to Piazza Navone and five minutes to the Trevi Fountain.

All roads lead to the Pantheon. Good memories.






We were in Florence from Days 4 - 7. I liked Florence way more than Rome. The weather and shopping were better and the city more compact (hence the sights are easily walkable within a grid). And best of all, there's the Mercato Centrale (central market) where the bestest, saliva-flowing boiled beef sandwiches are sold from a shop called *angelic violins swelling* ...
*heart* Nerbone *heart*


This shot was taken by Snowie from Piazza Michelangelo, capturing one of the classic Florence postcard scenes. Very laku with the tourists. The sun sets pretty late in spring...I think it was after 8pm when this was shot.


See the Ponte Vecchio on the left. So cantik.

The Duomo and its campanile (tower) on the right dominate the cityscape and are very useful for orienteering yourself when walking in the city. The other pointy thing in the middle is the Palazzo Vecchio, where the fake David is.





Speaking of fake David, here's some of his friends who keep him in nude company outside the palace (albeit positioned further away so as not to distract from his prima donna david status).

This amazing piece of statuary is called the Rape of the Sabine Women. A strange name, doesn't look like the two men and one woman are playing Twister? Pretty awesome though, the sinewy contortions, given that the statue is carved from marble.

Despite my repeated requests, my three fellow travellers have very unsportingly refused to recreate this pose for a photo. How rude.




Part 2 - Earthbound Divinity

No visit to Rome is complete without taking the opportunity to literally step into another country.

Vatican City, the seat of Catholicism and home of a less photogenic Pope (compared to his predecessor). Can you see why I was a huge lightning strike risk? Imagine the headlines - "Pelancung mati disambar kilat semasa berkunjung ke Itali"

This is the view of St. Peter's square from the top of the Basilica's dome. Taken by the Doc and the Energizer Bunny who are equipped with healthier knees and freakishly limitless stamina.

Note the shadow of the dome in the foreground. It's HUGE. The dome, that is. Everything's huge. Those huggy arm-like semi-circles surrounding the piazza are comprised of FOUR humongous columns. Click on the picture itself to get a better view.



Here's a shot of the Dome from the inside. It's one of my absolute favourites because of how the light streams in, and the geometric shapes.



Visiting the Vatican, actually, pretty much every church we went into in Italy, I could see why Catholicism has managed to entrench itself in political history and garners more followers than the other Christian denomination.

Catholic imagery, traditions and ritualism are profoundly reflected in the architecture of its houses of worship.

There is only one word to describe it. Majestic. Inspiring awe enough to make you feel like falling to your knees.


But this, is a wee bit scary lah.

Taken in the basilica of St. Rufino in Assisi. That's Moses and his rulebooks on the left. There's a bell next to him, with its rope hanging enticingly within reach of curious hands. The Doc wondered what would happen if she pulled it, then answered the question herself.

Mungkin kena macam tu, she whispered, nodding towards you-know-who.

Yeowch.