Escolania de Montserrat sing the traditional midday Virolai. This piece is the hymn to the Virgin of Montserrat:
Friday, 3 June 2011
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Rome Part 3 (1st April 2011)
View from the Roman Forum and Colosseum: two of the most famous Roman remains to be found in Rome. The Roman Forum extends over a huge surface, with hills, a few museums, various church ruins, thermal baths, and of course the ruins of Augustus' House, of the Temple of Apollo, and a few imperial arches.
These pictures show just how tall and imposing such temple structures were. They are only a few columns now, but if these few columns impact us in such a strong way, imagine what a whole temple, let alone the entire Fora, would have looked like! This is the reason why Rome is know as the "city found in brick and left in marble".
Dome of St Peter's basilica, the Vatican. The central skylight is also an observation deck from which visitors can see the whole of Rome at their feet. The second picture is that of the reflection of the dome on the Vatican buildings and gardens, early Sundau moening. It was a good thing I left the hostel at 7:30 for an 8:00 entrance!
To climb the done you must first take a lift which will leave you at its base. From there the ascent takes place within the dome itself, along a set of winding stairs which form a gradual spiral inwards towards the top. The climb is tiring, especially as most people will have to lean towards the interior side of the stair to clim due to the dome's curvature, but the views from the top are absolutely breathtaking!
Rome on April 2nd: Sunday morning calmness. View of St Peter;s square from the top of St Peter's dome.
Vatican Museums in the foreground.
The city of spires really lives up to that name (I don't know whether it really applies to Rome, but after these shots it really should!) The morning mist creates an ethereal haze over the city, punctured continuously here and there by an endless number of age-old church spires, by the parliament buildings and their giant winged horses... If you look closely enough you will see a large, layered and slightly flat dome near the left of the picture: the Pantheon.
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