Getting Mighty Crowded In Rome

Go to Rome. See the sites. Just be prepared to see the sites with many other people. Many, many, many other people.

Head to the Spanish Steps. Just don't expect to climb them, now renamed the Spanish Seats.

Plenty of fine paintings to see in the churches in Rome. And plenty of people. It's amazing, no surface left un-photographed.

The huge Colosseum, crowded.

Trevi fountain, rumored to still contain water. Snapping pics, an extreme sport, passed down from mother to daughter.

St. Peter's, everything to see here, especially the waves of people. Click!

Thank you, Rome, you've been a great host. But our space has been bumped, and it's time to head back to Lithuania and see how the winter's going.

San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Right around the corner from the Pantheon and near the Piazza Navona is the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. There are plenty of fancy churches throughout Rome. What makes this one special are a few Caravaggios tucked into a corner chapel.

Outside, an inviting church.

Inside, the usual baroque bounty that's so common in Rome.

What draws the crowds: the three Caravaggios.

The paintings depict scenes from Saint Matthew's life - the calling, inspiration and martyrdom. No matter what the subject, the paintings are an amazing combination of composition, heightened emotion and a masterful play of chiaroscuro.

The Details Of Rome

You want the base of an ancient column? Close up of an arch? Maybe a look at a pizza slice? Let's see if there are other details in Rome.

How about a simple room with curtains? Are they curtains?

A nun, letting it rip on the organ. Ancient and modern, happily co-existing in a back courtyard.

Taking out the trash and marching in high fashion. Just another moment in Rome.

Hallways and rooms, never left un-embelished.

Small garage. Tiny car.

Doorways to mysteries.

Re-packing a bag.

Rome's Spanish Steps

Behold the mighty Spanish Steps, Europe's widest staircase! Hey, something needs to claim that title, might as well be a beauty like the Spanish Steps. You want to give it to an airport concourse?

Heading up, bougainvillea busy blooming.

Up at the top, the church Trinita dei Monti stands guard.

And heading back down, a view looking west of Rome and the Vatican City beyond.

Picture perfect buildings surround the steps.

Fabulous Frescos Of Rome

Head to any church, palazzo or museum government building in Rome and there are bound to be rooms dripping with elaborate frescos. The colors still pop after hundreds of years and the scenes spill forth complicated narratives. And the frescos are easy on the eyes.

Or are they? Usually the frescos stretch many feet above one's head, requiring viewers to tilt their head back and hope they don't bump into someone drifting behind them. The artists surely knew about elongation perspective problems and adjusted their scenes accordingly.

What happens when you go against their wishes and get as close as possible to the base of a fresco and look up? Photographs happen.

The Pantheon

Rome's most famous structure? It depends whom you ask. The colosseum, Saint Peters and the Spanish Steps certainly rank high on anyone's list. The Pantheon smokes them all. The temple (now a church) was built by Hadrian in AD 126 and stands as Rome's greatest, best preserved link to its ancient history.

Why so special? Any dome you've seen, from the Capitol to your fancy downtown hotel to modern sports arenas owes its gratitude to the Pantheon. It's still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world and the height to the top of the dome and the diameter of the inner circle are exactly the same, an ideal mathematical cavity for a perfect sphere.

Where's the Pantheon? Like most of Rome, crammed into a neighborhood, there to surprise you upon approach.

Hello Pantheon.

Inside, a gorgeous mix or marbles in a welcoming space. Eyes drift up....

...to behold the amazing dome. The square spaces lining the dome capture the light from the oculus (top opening), creating a dance of shadows that add depth. Beyond clever.

Two more looks at the dome. The oculus is open to the sky. When it rains outside, it rains into the Pantheon. A rare snow would be a treat to witness, a column of white drifting down.

Church Interiors In Rome, Part 2

More Roman churches, more great interiors. Dramatic lighting on religious figures and sunlight streaming though windows helps with the atmosphere.