Rome
Photos taken during a short break away to Rome
Trevi Fountain
From aviewoncities.com: The Trevi fountain is at the ending part of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water. In 1732, Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square. A previous undertaking to build the fountain after a design by Bernini was halted a century earlier after the death of Pope Urban VIII. Salvi based his theatrical masterpiece on this design. Construction of the monumental baroque fountain was finally completed in 1762. The central figure of the fountain, in...
Read MoreColloseum
The Roman Colloseum, originally known as the Flavian Ampitheatre, was built under direction from Emporer Vespasian, the eventual winner of the civil war between the Jews and the Romans. The colloseum was constructed on the site of a palace which Nero (the previous and hated Emporer) built named Domus Aurea; and opened in AD 80 after being completed by Emporer Vespasian’s son Titus, 8 years after construction began in AD 72. The fact that the colloseum is still standing and in good condition is a testament to Roman architecture and construction, and preservation by the Roman authorities. The colloseum was built primarily as a gruesome form of entertainment...
Read MoreLaocoon & his Sons
This photo was taken in the Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy. From the website ancient-mythology.com: In Greek mythology, Laocoön was a Trojan priest of Apollo, or sometimes Poseidon. He was the son of Acoetes, the brother of Anchises and an uncle to Aeneas. When the Greek soldiers left Troy during the Trojan War, leaving behind their gift of a wooden horse, Laocoön sensed the danger. He objected to the Trojan’s willingness to bring the horse within Troy’s walls, suspecting that it may be a trap. (Laocoön was right, but the Trojans didn’t listen and brought the horse, which contained hiding Greek soldiers, into the city anyways.) To punish...
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