Venice, City of Romance

Such a wonderful place, its difficult not to be mesmerised by the romance and beauty of Venice. We stayed at The Westin Europa & Regina, Venice. A special treat for this trip. Hotel was nice and location was great. Walking distance to Piazza San Marco and public transport. We did short trips to Murano and spend a day enjoying the beauty and colours of Burano.

Pisa, The Leaning Tower

The leaning tower of Pisa, just a short trip from Florence by train and could be done in a day.

 

 

Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance

A beautiful place, lots to see and explore. Art is everywhere both indoors and outdoors. We took a walking tour of the city and then spend the rest of the days exploring the places that we wanted to see in detail. The Uffizi Museum is a must see for any visit to Florence. It houses one of the greatest collection of artworks in the world. Other attractions include Ponte Vecchio, Basilica di Santa Croce, Galleria dell'Accademia etc.... it's a pity many of these places do not allow photography although it's possible with current technology to take good images without using the flash.
From Florence we took day trips to Siena by bus (for the scenic journey) and Pisa by train.

Churches of Rome

In Rome there are just so many beautiful places and churches to see. Each with its own history and story. These are just a few of them.

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Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel

I took lots of photos but none could do justice to the paintings of Raphael and the other renaissance masters.
 


The 50mm f1.2 was great in low light when photographing these ancient tapesteries.

The stairway at Vatican Museum

 

 

 

 

 

The Sistine Chapel does not allow photography. A friend send me a link to this wonderful website where you can see a 360° view of the Sistine Chapel. 

 

 

View Sistine Chapel Here

 

 

 

 

 

Vatican City & St Peter's Basilica

 

 

 

 

 

St. Peter's Basilica (Italian: San Pietro in Vaticano) is a major basilica in Vatican City.

Art and architechure at its best !

The Pietà (1498–1499)

A masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti

The dome is accessible to visitors. Its a pretty steep climb and the last section of the stairs is actually quite a tight squeeze.  At the end of the climb you will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the entire Vatican City and it's surrounding area..