Followers

Follow on Bloglovin

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Gallimaufry#65

 Day 3  Florence

View of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo

Ponte Vecchio

Sculpture of David 


Piazza della Signoria
Perseus with the head of Medusa
Neptune
Hercules and Cacus
David
Piazza del Duomo Firenze
Our group photo  all 37 of us from Malaysia!
Baptistry of San Giovanni

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
The intricacy of the stonework and mosaics of the buildings is astounding!
Giotto's Bell Tower
Dome fresco of the Florence Cathedral

Tomb of Antipope John XXIII in the Florence Baptistry
Piazza della Repubblica
The Christmas lights in Florence are bellissimo!
Palazzo Vecchio
II Porcellino
Legend has it that good fortune follows those who rub the boar’s snout. Some tourists have even gone so far as to place a coin in its jaws, in hopes that the water would wash the coin from the boar’s mouth into the grate below. Doing so would mean that all your wishes would come true and you would get to visit Florence again.
 
When in Florence, eat a Florentine Steak!
Last glimpse of Florence from our bus

My Corner of the World

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Gallimaufry#64

 Day 2 — Rome

 Colosseum

Arch of Constantine
Roman Forum
Statue of Julius Caesar
Victor Emmanuel II Monument
Equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II
Trevi Fountain

Fontana della Barcaccia

People actually drink the water from the fountain!



Spanish Steps
Despite a fine of €250, people were still sitting on the steps!
As of 2019, a ban has been introduced to prevent tourists from sitting on the 135 steps, spanning from the Trinita de' Monti to the Piazza di Spagna. A hefty fine of €250 awaits anyone spotted using the steps as a resting place, enforced by whistle-wielding, high-vis-wearing officials patrolling the area by day.

Me and our Italian guide Donatella
According to our guide, there are more than 2000 piazzas in Rome itself! Italian piazzas, or squares, are the heart and soul of every Italian town and city. Big or small, humble or opulent, there is always something to admire  a fountain, a statue, an obelisk, a monument, a Christmas tree, etc.

Piazza del Popolo
Flaminio Obelisk
The Twin Churches
In Piazza del Popolo, two identical churches stand beside each other. The Santa Maria dei Mircoli and the Santa Maria in Montesanto are known as The Twin Churches because of their identical exterior structures.

Fontana del Nettuno
Trevi District
Via del Babuino
The street was named after Babuino, the statue of Silenus, who was half man, half goat in Greek mythology. The statue was thought to be very ugly and compared to a baboon. It was thus nicknamed Babuino (Romanesco for "baboon"). It joins Rome’s other talking statues, where people leave pasquinades (nasty notes) directed at public figures. This is a tradition that has continued even today.

Fendi Baguette Bag Christmas Tree Installation
Eating gelato is one of the many joys of traveling in Italy!



My Corner of the World