First stop - ROME!
The Colosseum:
The Arch Of Constantine:
The Monument of Vittorio Emmanuelle II:
The Basilica di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Church):
The Spanish Steps:
The Trevi fountain:
(Sorry - some of the photos are a bit fuzzy because the weather was a bit cloudy at the start of the day... Besides, my camera is not so "canggih"...)
It's really amazing how much history (bloody or otherwise) that is contained in this city: Buildings and structures that can be up to thousands of years old, each with their own story.
WOW.
You know what's a real pity though?
This:
(Click on the photo for a closer look)
:(
I actually quite like graffiti (if tastefully done) as it's somewhat of a modern art but I think it's a real shame to deface these historical monuments with it.
I mean this is the place where the Roman Empire stood at it's (rather eccentrically murderous) peak.... and where historical figures as diverse as the gifted Michelangelo, the crazy Emperor Caligula (among others) and the powerful Julius Caeser have graced with their presence.
Why would anyone want to defile it with a can of spray paint?
(According to the tour guide, the Italian government has to spend quite a fair bit of money every year to clean up graffiti...)
*sigh*
It's not quite the right way to leave a mark on the world, don't you think?
(Some more, most of the graffiti weren't nice - so unimaginative! - it was usually just the person's name over and over again)
TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Europe, Italy, Rome, Graffiti, Photos, Holiday, Vatican City, Personal
Posts
wow....so nice pics.....hmmm so where's da present-day-lady-gladiator (j)? :D
ReplyDeleteY'know, J, graffiti is often one of the greatest gifts a historian can ever receive. So much of what we know of the daily lives of ancient cultures is thanks to inscriptions scoured into, or painted onto the walls of houses or caves by tailors, soldiers, stablehands etc. So, while an Emperor can build a great marble monument to his own glory (I use the masculine here deliberately), this can often mask what life is really like for everyone else. Graffiti helps us to fill in the blanks, and even though modern graffiti is done with spray paint, it is no less a window into what the real people are feeling - a classic, modern example was the outpouring of pain and emotion that used to decorate the Berlin Wall - something to muse about.
ReplyDeletedid u see Russell Crowe in his gladiator outfit? hehe
ReplyDeletev envy u,
ReplyDeleteyr life is so so
r i c h ...
n so much f u n...
did you try shouting out loud when you were at the colosseum? hehehe
ReplyDeleteto meiyen:
ReplyDeleteHaha...
Shy to show any photos of myself lah - I was wearing so many layers of clothes that I look like a bloated penguin!
:)
to donkeyblog:
Well, that's true.
I quite like graffiti art too actually... just not on 1000 year old buildings.
(... although I can see where you're coming from)
to wuching:
I wish!
:P
Haha....
to team bsg:
Jelez?
Don't be!
My (travelling) life may be very rich but now my wallet is very poor.
:)
to merv:
No lah....
The craziest thing I did there was buy ice cream from one of the van stalls even though I was feeling very cold.
Greed overcomes all!
:D
ahhh... bella italia.... *sniff*
ReplyDeleteAh no ... please tell me it's not happening to you, too. Must all Bloggers get a real life and fade away from my virtual one?
ReplyDelete:(
hi j, come across yr blog frm xiulongbao's blog. lovely pictures, i was there a few years back, glad that the place still looks so beautiful. sure brings back fond memories :). more posts on italy i hope? thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletehi j, came across yr blog frm xiulongbau's blog. lovely pixs, i was there a few years back, glad that it's still so beautiful. sure brought back fond memories. hope you'll post more pixs on italy? thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehi j, came across yr blog frm xiulongbau's blog. lovely pixs, i was there a few years back, glad that it's still so beautiful. sure brought back fond memories. hope you'll post more pixs on italy? thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteto sneexe:
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish I could have been there for a longer time...
(... but no budget!)
to donkeyblog:
A thousand apologies my dear donkey friend: My day job has swallowed me whole since I got back from Italy...
:(
Don't you worry though - I'll be back as soon as I can!
:)
to sc:
Thanks!
(...and welcome to my humble blog!)
:)
I have tonnes of photos but (still) haven't had the time to sort through them yet....
I promise I will do it soon though.
(Glad to hear that you like them)
to sneexe:
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish I could have been there for a longer time...
(... but no budget!)
to donkeyblog:
A thousand apologies my dear donkey friend: My day job has swallowed me whole since I got back from Italy...
:(
Don't you worry though - I'll be back as soon as I can!
:)
to sc:
Thanks!
(...and welcome to my humble blog!)
:)
I have tonnes of photos but (still) haven't had the time to sort through them yet....
I promise I will do it soon though.
(Glad to hear that you like them)
Well, as a penance, I've tagged ya - I need six weird things about your good self (if you can come up with that many - tee hee).
ReplyDeleteto donkeyblog:
ReplyDeleteYou have tagged me??
*gasp*
How cruel!
Haha...
Seriously, thanks!
Had fun doing your meme - the only problem was that I had a lot of trouble trying to limit myself to just 6 things.
:D
Naja, ob das alles so richtig ist..
ReplyDeleteSorry Anonymous... I do not understand your comment. :(
ReplyDelete