Italy Trip 2010

Recently I took one week trip to Italy. It was my first trip to Europe and sure was wonderful. I visited Rome, Vatican City, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Pompeii and Naples. Even for only a week, I have seen many churches, cathedrals, museums, piazzas, and ruins. On the other hand, one week in Italy barely scratches the surface of appreciating its history, art, and architecture. I was overwelmed. Especially for Vatican Museum in Vatican City and Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I only had time to go through the treasures in them superficially (I did buy a couple of good books and am studying them enthusiastically :).

Below are just a few pictures out of hundreds I took during my trip. Hope you like them.

The Great Colosseum in ancient Rome.

View of Roman Forum from Palatine Hill.

The dome of the Pantheon, Rome, which is a huge influence on western architecture including St. Peter's Basilica.

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers at Piazza Navona in Rome.

The famous Spanish Steps in Rome, always crowded.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome.

St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City.

Pisa's Baptistery, Duomo and Leaning Tower.

The Leaning Tower. You heard about it, you read about it, and you saw it in pictures and documentaries. But when I stood in front of it, "Wow".

View of Pisa from the top of Leaning Tower.

Florence's Duomo, Campanile (bell tower) and Baptistery in the evening. This picture doesn't do justice to this magnificent view. This is when I wish I had a high-end camera instead of a point-and-shoot. It was hard for me to catch the full view. They are surrounded by other small buildings.

Michelangelo's David at Piazza della Signoria in Florence. This is a copy. The original one is in Galleria dell'Accademia. I saw the real one, but pictures are not allowed.

Ponte Vecchio over Arno River in Florence.

St. Mark's Basilica at St. Mark's Square in Venice.

La Salute Church in Venice.

Pompeii - buried during eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79AD and rediscovered in 1599. It is a much larger town than I expected. You can easily spend a day there.

Pompeii's Forum, with its destroyer Mount Vesuvius in the Background.