My favourite city in the world is Rome. My first encounter with the fabled city was back in 2003 with a group a fellow students on a 3 week study tour of Rome. I used nothing but a small digital camera on that first trip and certainly wasn't anything close to a photographer. That said, It really was the trip that opened my eyes to a greater world. That allowed for a deeper appreciation of culture and a lust to see more of the globe. Many of those from the initial trip remain great friends today - I can't believe how long it's been since we were all in Rome.
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| Jake playing the Guitar in the garden during our study tour. Some the best times we had were in this little garden at the end of the day listening to his magical voice and trying to take in everything we had seen. |
Since then I've been back 4 times for varying stays but always with my professional camera. As a student of history, the Italian capital has it all. The remnants of the mighty Roman Empire from more than 3000 years ago still play a role in the city today.
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| The Colloseo Bus stop. Just one of the many examples where the past meets the present |
The Renessance and Braoque periods surround you, especially inside the hallowed walls of Vatican but in other places you'll see family emblems and the piazza's with massive and impressive fountains meant for people to gather and congregate. On our tour we certainly did that. Then, and in subsequent trips, I made the required pilgrimage to Trevi Foutain. It is a such a sight at night!
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| The Famed Trevi Fountain from the side. What a wonderful place to spend the evening! |
The more recent history including the Vittoriano, representing the unification of Italy and the reign of Mussolini all find a place in the history of Rome and the scattered remnants of those eras in the not too distant path are everywhere in the city.
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| An artistic take on the Vittoriano, also dubbed the "wedding cake" because of it's size, shape and whiteness. |
The Italians sense of history, the innate understanding that good or bad, the past is not to be buried but showcased or at least allowed to exist as a reminder is apparent everywhere.
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| Thousands of people congregate to watch Pope Benedict XVI Give Mass at St. Peter's |
I have thousands of photos of Rome including all the hot tourist locations but I thought I would show you an artistic variation of what came to my lens during my time in Rome. Pick pockets aside, it is probably one of the safest cities in the world and with the ability to enjoy a bottle a wine outside at anyone of the main fountains and piazza's. As the summer fades and I realize that this year, for the first time since 2005, I won't have the opportunity to step foot on European soil. With that I end my July posts and I hope you've enjoyed a tiny glance at Rome.
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