People Watching : Rome

Aside from the abundance of sightseeing and attractions Rome had to offer, I also indulged in a little bit of people watching.  Well alright, a little might be an understatement.  I almost actually felt stalkerish but I couldn't help but admire European men and women; their fashion sense and their seemingly effortless way to look so chic and stylish.  The women had a certain panache - a "je ne sais quoi" - that exudes such an aura of confidence.  It's their attitude and the way in which they carry themselves that capitalizes so much on femininity and elegance.  I also admired the men simply for the fact that they looked so put together, no matter what sense of style they had.  Whether it be casual street wear with a jean and jacket or a classic pin-striped suit and a slim tie.  Now I could just be looking at it through different (American) eyes but whatever the case may be, it was definitely something I appreciated and admired.

The sets of photos below were taken at Piazza della Minerva, just outside of the Pantheon, where Dena and I had lunch and grabbed perfects seats for people watching.

 Her natural beauty captivated me... so much so that I took about 20 pictures of her.  

Yes, I admit; I had lady-crush on her.

This Italian woman stood there and posed for me the whole time just so I can take pictures of her.  

Loved her scarf, jacket and just overall demeanor.

I want her top, scarf and purse.

She was rockin' John Varvatos Chucks so well with that skirt and coat.

Notice the woman's coat in the middle... this print was everywhere in Europe.  

From Rome, to Greece, to Paris and Germany.

The red belt and the scarf.  All about the details.

This man was adorable.  From the way he walked to his ensemble.

I want to go to there...

Adidas and Chucks were a staple for men's footwear.

No picture's complete without the V.  They're everywhere!

This cute little boy was trying to catch my attention by playing his harmonica.  And every time I looked at him, he would hide between his father's legs.  We kept going back and forth as I tried to steal candid shots of him.  What a little flirt...

Another father-son session.  Click on the photo to enlarge.  

I'm all about the man-purse.

Along Via dei Condotti

One common theme that Dena and I noticed in all 4 countries we visited:  The men in uniform were all strikingly handsome, as if it was a prerequisite in their application.  Now it could just be our fascination for men in uniform but seriously, no matter the age or country, they all looked so suave and sharp.

More to come....

Eurotrip :: Rome . Part IV: Vatican City

It's kind of funny how my image of Rome consists of scenes from movies like Gladiator and Da Vinci Code.  As soon as I stepped foot inside St. Peter's Square, flashbacks of Angels & Demons immediately came to mind.  And all throughout our tour of the Vatican City, we would spout out reference points from the movie and would try to locate and identify them. 

We saved our tour of the Vatican City on Wednesday, our last day in Rome, which is when the Pope usually holds mass at St. Peter's Square.  We were told it was quite an interesting experience to be a part of the papal audience.  Unfortunately for us, the Pope was supposedly sick and wasn't able to make an appearance.  That explains why the square wasn't filled with a mass amount of people when we arrived.

I was completely overwhelmed with everything that we saw here: larger than life statues, iconic frescos, symbolic images, impressive architecture, detailed embellishments; the Roman Catholic's legacy in all its glory.  I stood before Michelangelo's infamous paintings in the Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgment and the iconic image of the Creation of Adam on the ceiling.  The massive proportions of his paintings as well as his work in St. Peter's Basilica were indescribable.  And never have I seen as grand a church as St. Peter's Basilica.  The enormity of the interior's size is incomprehensibly huge that you feel somewhat insignificant standing even next to a Holy Water basin. I could spend days in here and still not fully absorb the significance and historical associations of each statue, painting and scripture.  Really, there are no words that can describe this unforgettable experience and the photos I took can't do it justice either.  I'll end this post on that note and share with you what I tried to capture in pictures.

: Panoramic view of St. Peter's Square :  

 : Arnaldo Pomodoro's Sphere Within a Sphere :

 

 

 

 

 

 

: Belvedere Torso :

 

: Ceiling inside the Gallery of Maps :

 

: Michelangelo's Last Judgment inside the Sistine Chapel, seconds before I got yelled at by a guard. "NO FOTOS!" :

 

: The altar with Bernini's baldacchino :

 

 

 ... and a hundred some more over here...

Eurotrip :: Rome . Part III: Pantheon & the Spanish Steps

We were just starting to get a taste of Rome and already, we're counting down the days till we have to leave.  So instead of taking a 1-day trip to Florence, we decided it was best to spend our third day to soaking up this fine city and seeing more of Rome.  Having my journal with me was key.  I took a moment, before I went to sleep, to record everything that I had seen, places I went and people I saw.  So quickly we forget little details that happen on a trip and I wanted to make sure not to do that.

Everywhere we went was picturesque Rome so my camera, which I've owned for no more than 2 weeks, was working overtime.  Between trying to figure out a new platform (Nikon vs Canon), how to toggle between the different settings to trying to capture moments right on the spot, I had already taken over 1,000 photos.  A handful of keepers, a number of over and underexposed photos and still a few more to go through and possibly edit.  I took an interest on taking pictures of random alleys and buildings as well as doors, windows and people.  So much so that I will have to create a separate post with nothing but that.


But for now, I share photos of the Pantheon, which is another building that amazed me.  It's a huge circular building with massive granite columns and the opening (or oculus) at the top of the dome which is the only source of interior lighting.  This huge dome is truly such an unusual design and structure, built entirely without steel reinforcing rods and by human hands.

 

 The rest of the pictures on this post and in the album linked below were taken along Piazza della Minerva, Via del Corso and Via dei Condotti, where I used a chunk of my euros on some much desired shopping.  Via dei Condotti took us to the Piazza di Spagna, better known as the Spanish Steps.

 : wine heaven :

:

 : these caged beauties are begging to be set free :

  

 : Spanish Steps :

And of course, we made sure to stop at Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) and threw a coin over our shoulder.  Rome, I will be back...

And for more, follow the link...