This week’s challenge is all about harmony, and I instantly thought of my last day at sea. The cloudy skies, the colors, the chill of the open Mediterranean…it all came together for an unusual – but utterly gorgeous – moment in my adventure. A larger version is viewable here.
This week’s photo challenge is all about time, and there’s nothing that captures it quite like the city of Pompeii. It was famously destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (seen looming in the background) in 79 AD. It was completely wiped off the map, and it wasn’t until 1599 that traces of it were unearthed. It wasn’t properly rediscovered until 1748, and it’s been a major archaeological site ever since. Its preserved remnants – victims and their culture, forever frozen in time – are both beautiful and tragic. A larger version is viewable here.
This week’s challenge is all about optimism, so I thought I’d skip slightly ahead of my travel log and give you a preview of what’s coming next. This is the city of Salerno, which is part of Italy’s world-famous Amalfi Coast. On the morning I took this, the sky was dull and overcast; I was worried our tour to Pompeii might be canceled due to bad weather, and started planning accordingly. After a little while, however, the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the city like a spotlight. It grew brighter as the clouds drifted slowly – but inevitably – down the coast. Not all problems can fade away like that, but a little patience goes a long way. A larger version is viewable here.
The Colosseum needs no introduction. When people talk about Rome and ancient architecture in general, this will immediately come to mind. After all the centuries of wear and tear, it’s still one of the most impressive ruins out there. I wish I had more time to explore inside (*you* try walking from Vatican City to here and back and dealing with the huge lines in a single afternoon!), but I’m so glad I finally got to see it. A larger version is viewable here.
This week’s photo challenge is alphabet themed, and I was reminded of my time spent at the Pantheon in Rome. The Latin inscription reads:
M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT
According to Wikipedia, the full message is, “”M[arcus] Agrippa L[ucii] f[ilius] co[n]s[ul] tertium fecit,” which translates to “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made [this building] when consul for the third time.” Unlike a lot of messages these days, this one is literally set in stone! A larger version is viewable here.
Just a random moment while I was exiting Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza. The color of the wall, the afternoon shadows, and the nonchalant fellow just seemed to work perfectly together. A larger version is viewable here.
Built in 1642-1660 by Francesco Borromini, Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza (aka Saint Yves at the Sapienza) is a masterpiece of Roman Baroque architecture. I came across this on the way to the Pantheon. While most tourists head to the Vatican, Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza was populated with art and architecture students doing practice sketches. A larger version is viewable here.
This week’s photo challenge is all about gravity, and I recently got to see one of the most (in)famous examples of its effects on architecture: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. A larger version is viewable here. By the way, the LEGO version leans, too.
During the cruise, we were scheduled to have dinner at 6 PM every day…just in time for sunset. I made a habit of ordering early, excusing myself from the table, and coming back with sunset photos to show off to my fellow dinner guests. Here’s how the sky looked from Livorno’s harbor on October 21st, 2015. A larger version is viewable here.
One of the two fountains at St. Peter’s Square, which is part of Vatican City. Also one of the highlights of my trip! Amazing how much history is contained in one small space. A larger version is viewable here.
Polymathically 