Photo a day - Caesar was here

The Roman forum is a spectacular archaeological site, so evocative of ancient times. Amazing to think it became a cow pasture and dumping ground in the dark ages. If you haven't been there, go. Photo taken in May 2010.

Photo a day - Machinery & art, together

The city of Rome owns so much ancient art that it has run out of places in which to display it. To create an amazing showcase for these old and beautiful pieces, the city converted an old, unused power plant into an art museum. It's especially interesting because they did not remove the power plant equipment. It's all still there, surrounded by 2000+-year-old sculpture and mosaics. The place is called Centrale Montemartini, and I highly recommend a visit. Photo taken in March 2010.

Photo a day - fish or horn or both?

In March 2010, we visited Villa Farnese in Caprarola, outside of Rome. It was built in the 1500s in the Renaissance style, and in the back are formal gardens with a lot of sculpture. It's hard to tell what exactly is going on with this one, but it looks like the figure is blowing into a fish-shaped horn. Any other guesses?

Photo a day - Trulli

In the region of Puglia (the heel of the geographic boot that is Italy), there is a town famous for its distinctive architecture. The town is Alberobello, and its particular house is the trullo (trulli plural). The trulli are round, constructed without mortar, and topped with a cone. Photo taken in March 2010.

Photo a day - Cave of the Sibyl

Near Naples is are ancient Greek ruins in the modern day town of Cuma. This was the Greek settlement of Cumae, founded in the 8th century B.C. The photo shows the cave of the sibyl, a reknowned prophetess in ancient times. Photo taken in February 2010.

Photo a day - Via di Villa Giulia

To visit some friends, we frequently walked down this small, quiet street. Just out of camera range is a gap in the wall that reveals a soccer field where we often saw men playing in team uniforms, sometimes at night under bright lights.

Photo a day - the other Pisa

Most postcards and snapshots of Pisa feature the leaning tower, but there's more to the town than that. Here's a shot of Pisa's river, the Arno. Somewhere over on the right is a fancy chocolate shop. Photo taken in April 2010.