Spanish Steps

A famous gathering place for visitors and Romans alike - the Spainish Steps is sure to draw a crowd. Santa Trinita is the church above the steps and was the Borghese Family church. Borghese Park entrances can also be found at the top of the steps.

Villa Borghese - Park

The Park is much like Central Park in New York City. A very large park with trees, open spaces, fountains, bike and walking paths. There is a lot of sculpture - including this Roman statue with a pigeon where the head should be. We were there on Sunday afternoon and the park was filled with families just having fun together.

The small lake in the park surrounded a small Roman Temple and people could rent small boats. The Gardens were lovely.

Borghese Gallery masterpieces

I can't take credit for these two photos - but this is Bernini's marble: Apollo and Dahpne. The marble carving is so finely carved - the leaves at the top are so thin they are almost transparent.

Caravaggio's Boy with the Flowers is also in the Borghese. The Romans love Caravaggio - many churches have original Caravvagio paintings inside.

Borghese Gallery

The Gallery Borghese houses a remarkable art collection and is a lavishly decorated villa. The Borghese family were associated with the Catholic Church - one was a bishop and one became Pope. Their wealth and influence allowed them to commission and acquire many fantastic pieces of art.

Bernini's sculpture fills the house along with many masterpieces by Caravaggio! The ceilings and walls are elaborately decorated with beauty to be found in every room.

The villa is located at the edge of the old city walls inside Villa Borghese Park.

Rome - Piazza Narvona

Bernini was a famous sculptor and artist in Rome during the Baroque Period. His famous "4 Rivers Fountain" is located in Piazza Narvona. This was the sight of the "Water" part of the Angels and Demons" movie. (based on Dan Brown's book and starring Tom Hanks)

This piazza is a lively open park that was a former circus arena lined with restaurants, performers and people strolling about. A stage was set up for a performance later that evening - it looked like a Christian "soft rock" group.

We had a lovely Italian meal in one of the sidewalk cafes!

Rome - Piazza Narvona

Bernini was a famous sculptor and artist in Rome during the Baroque Period. His famous "4 Rivers Fountain" is located in Piazza Narvona. The statue was featurered in the movie "Angels and Demons" from the Dan Brown book.

Rome - The Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the signature buildings for Rome. Our hotel is just behind the Pantheon - so we are enjoying walking around in this area!

Slaughter of the Innocents - floor of Siena Duomo

The floor is really unbelievable - the entire floor is marble inlay with intricate designs. The floor is only uncovered during October every year. - We were there in 2003 and 2005 - and the floor was uncovered in 2005.

This scene is called the Slaughter of the Innocents from the New Testament. There are about 20 or 25 different sections of the floor with different scenes from the Bible and from the Siena history.

Inside Siena Duomo

So many beautiful aspects to the Siena Cathedral. The interior is magnifcant with a beautiful ceiling. Huge marble (striped in green and light Tuscan marble) pillars!

Also - the cathedral has a wonderful side chapel Which is the Library. The libary has beautiful frescoes but it also has the illuminated manuscripts from the Medieval times. Each page is a work of art - individually painted and illustrated. The books are huge - 3 or 4 feet tall! The room is full with beautiful displays of these books. I really love this church - it is a masterpiece in so many respects!

Siena, Italy - Duomo

Another beautiful Tuscan church - the Duomo in Siena is actually my very favorite Tuscan church. It is beautiful on the outside - like Florence's Duomo with the pink and green Tuscan marble - but when you walk inside - there is so much to see!!

Here of views of the Duomo - I took this late in the afternoon as the sun was setting. The colors just radiate in that light.

Siena, Italy - views

We used Siena, Italy as home base for 5 nights. We had stayed there before in 2003 (on our honeymoon!). Actually - we chose the same hotel: Hotel Duomo. Up on a hill with views of the Duomo and the city of Siena!

Darrell loves his terrace! A great place to unwind - with a cigar - and some peace from the hectic pace.

I took the stairs (steep and winding spiral staircase with one way up and same way down) for the views. Could see all the city and the campo from the top!!

Cortona, Italy - Under the Tuscan Sun and Steep Streets

Had to add a few more photos from Cortona! Movie posters of Under the Tuscan Sun were in several stores. What a beautiful little village. Wonderful shops, steep winding streets, unbelivable views...

And again - steep streets!!

Under the Tuscan Sun

Frances Mays wrote her famous book about traveling to Italy and falling in love with the countryside. She finds an old villa that she buys on an impulse thens spends years repairing the home and finding herself. This is Bramsole - Frances Mays real home. A beautiful villa just above Cortona - beautifully landscaped with gorgeous views.

Darrell thought I was crazy to try to find this house. But Under the Tuscan Sun has long been a favorite book then movie. The Page Turners (my book club) even went to hear her speak in Memphis. I have her coffee table book on beauiful Tuscan villas. We had to see this house!! So a few wrong turns, on narrow cliff side roads - there it is! It is easy to see how she fell in love with Italy and the beautiful city of Cortona.

Cortona Museum of Renaissance Art

Renaissance art is beautiful with the gold background and vividly color clothes.
For a small town, Cortona is fortunate to have several important pieces.

Fra Angelico's Annunication (The archangel Michel tells Mary that she will have the baby Jesus) dates from 1400's.

Oldest houses in Italy

Cortona claims some of the oldest homes still standing and occupied in Itlay. These homes look straight from the middle ages. They are located on Ianilli Street and hug the outside of the old city wall. They are still occupied.

Views from Cortona

The town is contained within the city walls - but just outside (and below the city) are 2 beautiful ancient churches (Saint Margarhita shown) and the Necropolis (city of the dead - or cementary). The views of the valley below are wonderful.

Cortona, Italy

Cortona is located in Eastern Tuscany and such movies as Oceans 12 and Under the Tuscan Sun were filmed here. Cortona clings to the side of a mountain with 1 flat street with steep, almost ladder like lanes leading up or down.

We enjoyed lunch at La Loggea Restaurant overlooking the Grand Pizzia. (With the required city hall and clock tower.) Most Tuscan towns have a similar design with the large open piazza at the town hall center of town. This is our first trip to Cortona and we have been looking forward to finally seeing this gem of Tuscany.

Florence Baptistry

The Baptistry is built separate from the Duomo - built clad with the same beautiful marble. The bronze doors were designed and cast by Ghiberti in 1425 and are called the "Gates to Paradise" featuring biblical scenes.

Duomo in Florence

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One of the largest Christian Churches and the influence for Saint Peter's in Rome, the Florence Duomo is beautiful. The pink and green tints of Tuscan marble are magnificant. The dome is a breakthrough in engineering architecture - created by Brunellesci. Inside the ceiling is beatuifully frescoed

Medici Family Palace

Home to many generations of the Medici family and located adjacant to San Lorenzo Church in the heart of old Florence, the palace has a famous chapel. The chapel is fescoed with a painting called "The Journey of the Magi" painted by Gozzoli in the late 1500's. The painting shows a long procession of people - led by Lorenzo Medidi as one of the Kings (The 3 Kings of Orient) painted in brillant colors!

The teenage Michelangelo lived here. Also Leonardo da Vinci visited frequently as well as many scholars and philosophers. The Reniassance was funded in part by the Medici Family. We have them to thank for many of the freedoms of thought we have today and for much of the beauty of the Reniassance Art which has influenced every major painter since.

Florence - San Lorenzo Church

The Medici Family were the patron's for San Lorenzo Church. The church is plain on the outside - but houses the Medici Chapels (no photos allowed). Several of the "Dukes" and leading men from the Medici family are buried in the Chapel. Michelangelo designed and sculpted many of the pieces in the chapel. Michelangelo lived with the Medici family as a boy and the family was his patron for many years.

This family also provided scanturary to Galileo when he was persecuted by the Church for his teaching on astronomy. He was excommunicated because he declared this sun was the center of our solar system and not the earth.