Buon Anno e troppe foto!!!!

Happy New Year / Buon Anno!

I've been a bit slack in updating the blog only because on my trip to Rome, I took over 5000 photographs. When I published the blog, I published many photos as I was taking them. Now that I've had a chance to go through them all, I've published most of them to my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitto1975

Taking so many photos...well, maybe was a bad idea since it has taken me so long to organize them. But now I'm back, and I'd like to share more of them and my experiences and perceptions with you.

In the coming year, I'll post more photos as I prepare for another summer in Italy! This year I plan to return to Rome (there were just so many things that I didn't get to see!) as well as return to Naples and Caserta, spend some more time in Sicily. This year I would like to go to Milan, Turin and also Genoa and see more of the north of Italy but will always return to Rome, which is, my favorite place in Italy.

Thank you for reading and visiting my blog. Please leave comments, suggestions and questions -- I enjoy hearing from all of you! Don't forget to visit my blog, Knowing Rome which is a blog about traveling to Rome, its history, art, culture, language and more.

Orvieto: Il Duomo

This striped marble effect (marble and basalt, to be precise) is the hallmark of Orvieto's Duomo as well as several other churches and cathedrals throughout Italy during the late Middle Ages (around 1290-ish). That, along with the bas relief sculpture on the facade make this a definite stop if you're ever in the area!

The Wikipedia article on Orvieto is pretty decent, too.

Siena: She-Wolf and the suckling twins

The she-wolf with the suckling twins is a symbol of Rome, but it was borrowed by the old city-state of Siena as a means of promoting the city's standing among the other city-states in Italy. You'll find this symbol all over Siena, where legend has it that the son of Senius, the son of Remus (one of the founding brothers of Rome). The leaders of Siena believed that by associating with Rome that the city would have more legitmacy than its rivals. The history is a bit more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it.

Rome: Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus is located near the Roman Forum.

This is a good place to spend the day because there's just so much to see.

It's super touristy there so watch your wallets/purses when you're walking about.
Bring your own water (I've seen vendors charge 2 euro for a small bottle of water!).

Also lots of great photo opportunities.

Naples: Acrobatic Canine

I saw a lot of things in Naples, such as cyclists and motorcyclists without helmets, driving a bit too crazy for my taste, but this was a first -- a man taking his dog for a ride on his motorcycle. The dog has amazing powers of balance as the dog remained quite steady and "stuck" to the motorcycle. We followed him for quite some time, and the dog never looked to be in any danger whatsoever of falling off, adjusting itself as the bike moved from side to side, etc.

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Naples: Car Theft

In Naples, everyone had these devices on the steering wheels of their cars as well as another device that immobilized the pedals. As you can see, the car in this photo is hardly top of the line. So why go through all the trouble to protect such an old car? My guess is that many of the parts of the car are valuable since this car is quite old and hasn't been produced for quite some time.

I guess you can't take any chances...

My friends asked me if I had such a device for my car back in the United States...I don't live in an area that probably would need it. And after seeing how complicated it was to attach the device to the steering wheel...such a contraption probably isn't for me. :)

Rome: Mallrats (or Going to the Mall in EUR)

The mall in Italian is known as a centro commerciale. I went to the mall twice. Once to have lunch with a friend on a Sunday afternoon because nothing else was open, and just before going to Naples to buy some clothes because my said I needed to look more Italian. It was certainly going to take a lot more than clothes to make that happen...but I digress. :)

This mall is located in EUR. My only gripe was that I found it hard to reach on foot, although once I reached the mall I saw that there was a pedestrian entrance, but when I was in the mall I couldn't find it for the life of me so I just exited the mall the same way that I came in.

So what do you think? It's a bit kitsch, too bright, and way too shiny with all the glitter and gold. I did like the food court because the chairs were plush and comfortable, and it was good place to relax and read while I waited for my friend to finish working. It was also really big.

Naples: Spanish Quarter

Here's a photo of the vibrant Spanish Quarter in Naples. There are several such neighborhoods like this in Naples for variou ethnic and cultural groups.

Naples: Piazza del Plebiscito

This is a photo of the Piazza del Plebiscito, with a view of San Francesco di Paola. This piazza is the largest in Naples and is also bordered by the Palazzo Reale.

Notice how the church is reminiscent of the Pantheon?

I visited Naples on July 4th.

Naples: Gulf of Naples From My Balcony

When I was in Naples, I stayed at a convent (long story...) run by nuns who had a number of rooms that rented out. It was more of a hotel/business than it was anything else, but I'll go into that later.

Here's a view from the balcony of my room that looks out onto the Gulf of Naples. Pretty, huh?