Italy is a country steeped in history, culture, and culinary delights. I explored the religious culture and artifacts in the Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Museum. I wandered through the streets of Rome, where there seems to be history on every corner with the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, and more plazas and fountains than I could count. I also took a cloudy day trip to Naples to hike up Mount Vesuvius and peer down into its crater.
Church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome
Looking down the Piazza di Spagna in Rome as it gets ready for another day
Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
Church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti in Rome
Fontana del Nettuno in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome
Flaminio Obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome
Statue of Rome between the Tiber and the Aniene Fountain in Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi Fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome
The obelisk on the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the Piazza Navona in Rome
Column of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza Mignanelli in Rome
Trajan’s Column in Trajan’s Forum in Rome
Looking up at the Colisseum in Rome, Italy
Wide-angle of the Colisseum in Rome
The Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy
Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in the Roman Forum
The Colisseum on a sunny day in Rome
Fontana del Pantheon in the Piazza della Rotonda in Rome
The outside of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
The Demon Hole in the Pantheon in Rome
Raphael’s Tomb inside the Pantheon in Rome
A sun beam on the inside of the Pantheon’s dome in Rome, Italy
Statues at House of Vestals in the Roman Forum, Italy
The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument or Vittoriano or Altare della Patria in Rome, Italy
The Arch of Constantine in front of the Colisseum in Rome
A wide-angle view of the Roman Forum
Wall carving on Palatine Hill in Rome
Stadium of Domitian on Palatine Hill in Rome
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum
Forum of Augustus and the temple of Mars Ultor in the Imperial fora ruins in Rome
Largo di Torre Argentina in the Campus Martius in Rome
Inside a theatre in Pompeii, Italy
Looking down a city walkway in Pompeii
Inside the bathhouse in Pompeii, Italy
A moss-covered bed inside a brothel in Pompeii, Italy
View of Vesuvius from inside Pompeii, Italy
View of Naples on a cloudy day from the top of Vesuvius
Looking down into the crater of Vesuvius outside Naples, Italy
A Swiss Guard stands guard in Vatican City – black and white
Braccio Carlo Magno Entrance to St Peter’s Square in Vatican City
The audience at Pope Francis’ Wednesday Mass in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City
Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museum, Italy
Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Light streaming through the ceiling windows of St Peter’s Basilica’s domed ceiling
Looking up into the dome at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Italy
The walls and dome within St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
The walls within St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
The ceiling and dome within St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Intricate architecture inside St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Looking up at the seal of Christina Alexandra in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City