Recent Articles
Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
Looking upward inside St. Peter’s Basilica reveals one of the great architectural achievements of the Renaissance. The vast dome rises above the crossing of the church, directly over the papal altar and the traditional location of the tomb of Saint Peter. Michelangelo became the chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in 1546, when he was […]
Mosaic Fountain at the House of the Small Fountain
The elaborate fountain at Pompeii’s House of the Small Fountain transformed an ordinary garden wall into a richly decorated water display. Constructed within an arched niche, it combined flowing water, colorful mosaics and small sculptures to create an artistic focal point within the private residence. The surface was decorated with glass tesserae, shells, pieces of […]
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni stands along Venice’s Grand Canal, but its appearance differs from the tall palaces surrounding it. Construction began during the eighteenth century for the Venier family, but only one level was completed. Its low profile and broad waterfront terrace eventually became part of the building’s distinctive character. Peggy Guggenheim purchased the unfinished […]
Pompeii
While traveling through Italy on a family vacation, we took a memorable tour of Pompeii. Walking through its excavated streets allowed us to experience the remains of an ancient city as more than a collection of ruins. Homes, shops, temples, public buildings, and gathering places still followed the arrangement of a community in which people […]
Medieval Square
Rising above the Tuscan countryside, San Gimignano is a remarkably preserved medieval hill town known for the towers that shape its skyline. Its location along the Via Francigena, the historic pilgrimage route leading to Rome, brought merchants, travelers, and pilgrims through the town and helped it grow into a prosperous center of trade. During the […]
Inside the Colosseum
Touring the Colosseum was a high priority during our family trip to Italy. It was one of those historic places we had learned about long before we arrived in Rome, but entering the amphitheater allowed us to appreciate its enormous scale and understand how it once functioned. From inside, the remains of the seating levels […]
Siena
While traveling in Italy, there was one town I particularly wanted to visit: Siena. My uncle had been the pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, and because of that connection, the name Siena had been familiar to me long before I ever walked its streets. I wanted to see the place that had given […]
Piazzale Michelangelo
High above the historic center of Florence is Piazzale Michelangelo, one of the best-known viewpoints in the city. From its broad terrace, Florence seems to spread out below with the Arno River and its bridges, the towers and rooftops of the old city, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and, dominating the skyline, Brunelleschi’s great dome of […]
St. Peter’s Square
Photographs of St. Peter’s Square do not convey its size. It was only when we were actually standing there and walking across the enormous open space that I began to appreciate its massiveness. The people crossing the square seemed small against the architecture surrounding them, and the distance from one side to the other was […]
The Sistine Chapel
Our family vacation to Italy had to include the Sistine Chapel. Entering this chapel in silence, surrounded by some of the most recognized works of art in the world, was one of those experiences where it was difficult to know where to look first. The room itself is relatively simple in shape, but almost every […]
The Tomb of Galileo
During our family travels through Italy, we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. Among the extraordinary monuments lining the interior is this elaborate tomb honoring Galileo Galilei, one of the most important figures in the history of science. Galileo was born in Pisa in 1564 and spent important years of his life in […]
The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica
On one of our family trips to Rome, we visited St. Peter’s Basilica, where this photograph of Erin was taken standing in front of the enormous bronze Holy Door. Known as the Porta Santa, it is one of the most significant entrances to St. Peter’s Basilica and has been associated with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee […]
