Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Cityscape on Camera: Rome & Vatican City, Italy

Next up in my European Extravaganza recap series: Rome, Italy (including Vatican City)! I'm pretty late getting this Travel Tuesday post up, so it's going to be heavy on the pictures and light on the descriptions (but you only come for the pictures anyway, right?). If you want to know anything more about a specific picture, please ask! And make sure you're not a no-reply blogger so I can actually respond to your comment. :)

Photo via @mcstroup on Instagram
First up: Rome. We explored the city a lot on our own at first, then took a fairly short free walking tour in the evening of our second day, and finally joined a small (paid) tour group to enter the Colosseum on our final morning. I definitely recommend paying for a guide inside the Colosseum: you learn so much more about the history and hear specific stories about the gladiators.

Some of the more famous sites pictured below include: the Column of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Forum, Hadrian's Temple, Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and—of course—the Colosseum:


This Italian church is painted to look like it has a dome ...


... but when you get closer, you realize it's fake!


Next up: Vatican City! Of course, you're not supposed to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel (although I saw a ton of tourists with cameras), but I still captured plenty of gorgeous ceilings elsewhere in the Vatican. I also thought it was odd that cameras are allowed in St. Peter's Basilica, where Mass is still offered, but not in the Sistine Chapel. Thoughts from fellow travelers and/or photographers?


Link up with your travel stories and/or tips below! I only ask that you include my button and/or link back to my site. :) Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!




6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love a good travel picture post ;D Your photos reminded me sooo much of my trip there; all the big places and then some. So much to see, there's never enough time! Looks like it was great fun! I hope to get back there someday... love your shots of the Forum. That was probably my favorite stop in the city. And the penny at the Trevi Fountain! ;) Just gotta. Did you see the Spanish Steps?

Cheers!
Kate x

Mandi Noel said...

Seeing all your great photos brought my right back to my trip to Rome a few years ago! The Colosseum tour was my favorite thing we did and was so worth the money! It's actually one of the most interesting tours I've taken in general!
As for the Sistine Chapel, I thought the photo rule was strange, too, but then I read somewhere that a company gained photography rights of the restored art during the restoration in the 1990s. So it's some weird legal thing apparently.
I actually had a very funny experience at the foot of the Spanish steps. Maybe I will share it on my blog for an upcoming Travel Tuesday!

Jenn @ Lost in the Right Direction said...

Yes, I agree with Mandi. If the Sistine Chapel is part of some private collection or something then they can say no pictures. I went to a bunch of presidential houses over the summer and their were no photos aloud because some of the furniture and are belonged to private collectors, so it was a legal thing.

Anonymous said...

Your amazing pictures are making me so antsy to get back to Rome. I think we're going to try for the holidays when our friend's family is here. Fingers crossed! If not, I'm definitely going sometime next year.

Courtney B said...

Oh my gosh, these pictures are INCREDIBLE! I've never been to Europe (but it's at the top of my vacation destination list) so I'm glad I can live vicariously through you until I am able to go :) What an amazing experience for you both!

melissa said...

Your photos of Rome took me right back to last summer. I fell in love with the city so quickly! I definitely hope to go back one day :)