Mark Dong Photography

Rome

My first stop was the Colosseum!  I went over there before I even unpacked.  It is undoubtedly the best known monument of ancient Rome.  Oddly, the architect of this amazing building is unknown.

The inside this mammoth amphitheater can be deceiving.  The floor upon which all the theater took place was removed and the series of complicated underground tunnels and rooms are exposed.  Down in there is where the Christians and the gladiators awaited their fate!  

The tiers inside the colosseum held over 50,000 people and was made of the most valuable stone - allegedly beautiful variations of white marble - later lost to  plundering by noble families and art lovers, who carried off large amounts to adorn their villas and palaces.  A great deal of material was also carried off for use in the construction of new buildings like St. Peter’s Basilica.

Just outside of the colosseum is the Arch of Septimus Severus   and the Roman Forum.

The Forum was the place where people would meet, publicly and privately - public debates were held here and justice was handed out by the great Roman lawyers.  It was the city's most important political and social centre.  

The Forum suffered most of its damage by the Barbarian invasions and like the colosseum, most of the plundering  here was done by fanatic lovers of antiquities.

It is a remarkable notion that all this antiquity can be juxtaposed against a modern city street - but it is true.  The colosseum and the Roman Forum sit  virtually on the side of a busy street!

The Basilica of St. Peter was my next outing.  It started as I walked up the street of Rconciliation to the church.

The Basicila was commissioned by the emperor Constantine, in the 4th century, who wanted it to be built on the spot where St. Peter met his death, and where so many Christians had been persecuted.  The Vatican state, which now encompasses the Basilica, did not emerge until 1929.

I climbed the tiny stairway to the top and got a look at the view of Piazza San Pietro which is surrounded by two arms of columns.  In the center is an Egyptian Obelisk crowned with a cross.

St. Peter’s Basicila is the largest church in the world and one immediately gets a sense of majesty and grandeur.  The dome is about 120 metres high and beneath it is the Bronze Canopy by Bernini which covers the tomb of St. Peter.  Apparently, only recently has it been verified that the canopy is, in fact, built over the exact location of St. Peter’s tomb.

Photographs of the vastness of this amazing cathedral are difficult to take for all the people who fill it by the hour.  

The most amazing thing I saw was Michelangelo’s La Pieta.  It is breathtakingly beautiful and very emotionally moving.

There are multiple side chapels, each one having it’s own beauty.  Many are kept locked so tourists can’t wander in.  But a camera lens always can!

Next it was off to the Vatican Museum.  It was filled with amazing art, tapestries, and statutes.

The ceiling of the entrance to the museum was amazing! As were all the other ceilings.

That circular spiral above is a staircase! And that tiny facility below is the Vatican Post Office!

Before we leave the Vatican I have to mention why the Basicila and the Piazza was  gated off and had chairs assembled.  It was prepared for a Papal Audience and Blessing.  Anyone could obtain an invitation to get inside.  As you can see in the photograph above,  I got a seat in the first row of the second section which turned out to be set back for the Popemobile to drive through.  I got my blessing up close and personal … as you can see!

One of my favorite places was the Pantheon - one of the most famous monuments of Roman art.  This was a temple dedicated to all the Gods.  Romans believe that Romulus ascended to heaven from this spot.  

On one day of the year, June 21 st to be specific,  the rays of the sun of the summer equinox shines from the oculus (the hole in the dome) through the front door and onto the front steps.

Here I have recorded a little video so you can see what it is like to be there if you have not already been to Rome or the Pantheon.

Then it was off to the Piazza Navona!  This was where my wife liked to spend her evenings with her law school friends, eating dinner and wandering around looking at the art.  I made a  quick little video to show you the square.  Actually, it looks like a stadium (long rectangle) and in fact, it was the Stadium of Domitian and the Piazza was built over it.

I also went to the  beautiful Trevi Fountain.  The legend that if you want to return to Rome, you must throw a coin into the fountain - forced me to go1!  I took a short video of the fountain too!  It was so crowded that I could not get a space in front of the fountain.  People seem to just hang out there all day!

Then it was off to  visit the Borghese Gardens, another lovely Roman park and also the largest!

My best feat of this trip was getting my night shots of Rome.   I love this collection.  It was my first attempt to get night shots and I was very happy with the results!

My last photograph in Rome was at the pier near the Fumicino Airport when I flew out of Rome.  I loved the experience I had in that city and I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given to travel there.