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Italy 2015 Parte Cinque - Rome & Pompeii


This is our second time in Rome and we decided to take it slowly and leisurely. In another words, we didn't have an itinerary. Hence, we decided to revisit some familiar sites as there will always be something new to see and learn regardless of how many times one has been to a place. In addition, we decided to take a trip south for a heated destination - Pompeii, and climb the volcano that made it so famous, the Vesuvius.


Piazza del Popolo
Arriving at Piazza del Popolo for our day trip to Pompeii.

Pompeii tour
Our tour cheerful guide for the day at Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.

Pompeii tour
A panoramic view of a courtyard and theatre in the background, all buried in 6m thick volcanic ashes in A.D.79.

Pompeii tour

Pompeii tour
The streets of Pompeii lined with shops and houses, once bustling with life more than one thousand nine hundred years ago.

Pompeii tour
Stone blocks protrude from the streets allowing pedestrians to cross the road during wet season. It also doubled up as Pompeii's drainage and sewage disposal system. The gaps between the blocks would still allow vehicles to pass through.

Pompeii tour
Some sort of restaurant once upon a time.

Pompeii tour
Beautiful interior courtyard of a house, many of which still intact with its decorative elements clearly visible.

Pompeii tour
Staircase still in tact.

Pompeii tour
A bustling street once upon a time.

Pompeii tour
A bed in a brothel in Pompeii.

Pompeii tour
One of the most famous body casts of the Pompeii tragedy - The Muleteer.

Pompeii tour
Some 1,150 bodies have been discovered.

Pompeii tour
The Forum with the respectable Vesuvius in the background.

Pompeii tour
Ascending Mount Vesuvius, one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

Pompeii tour
Volcanic ash since its last eruption in 1944.

Pompeii tour
The fertile soil of Vesuvius giving life, with the scenic Gulf of Naples in the background.

Pompeii tour
A panoramic view of the path trekking up Vesuvius (left is ascend).

Pompeii tour
Presenting the crater of Vesuvius, after around 30-35mins of brisk uphill walk. Although at only 1,281m high, I was feeling quite nauseous due to the quick ascend. No, there wasn't any bubbling molten rock, fortunately.

MAXXI Zaha Hadid
Back to Rome and back to civilisation. Visited Zaha Hadid's creation - MAXXI (Museum of Arts of the XXI century).

MAXXI Zaha Hadid

MAXXI Zaha Hadid
Entering the atrium, the main elements are evident: concrete curved walls, suspended black staircases, open ceiling catching natural light. Zaha Hadid had intended 'a new fluid kind of spatiality of multiple perspective points and fragmented geometry, designed to embody the chaotic fluidity of modern life'.

MAXXI Zaha Hadid

MAXXI Zaha Hadid
A clever manipulation of artificial and natural light.

MAXXI Zaha Hadid
Staircases "flow" through the entire building.

MAXXI Zaha Hadid
Zaha's info counter.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in the evening.

Pantheon Rome
Revisiting the famous Pantheon, meaning temple of every god, built in 126 A.D.

Pantheon Rome
Throughout the day, sunlight from the oculus moves around the interior space in a reverse sundial effect.

Pantheon Rome
Buried beneath the grounds of Pantheon is one person we should not forget - Raphael, who died in 1520.

Pantheon Rome
The grand interior of Pantheon. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are exactly the same at 43.3m. The oculus also provides cooling and ventilation. On rainy days, rainwater descends into the interior and runs off into 22 tiny holes on the marble floor that connect to the old Roman underground drainpipes.

Pantheon Rome
Corinthian column on the exterior of Pantheon.

Pantheon Rome
Enjoying an ice cold Italian beer at Piazza della Rotonda, the plaza in front of the Pantheon. A perfect place to admire this magnificent Roman architecture.

Piazza Navona
Selfies at Piazza Navona.

Piazza Navona
One of the 3 fountains in Piazza Navona - Fontana del Moro (Moor Fountain).

Palazzo Braschi
Visited the Museo di Roma, an art museum housed in Palazzo Braschi, a massive and beautiful Neoclassical palace.

Palazzo Braschi
Inside the Palazzo Braschi palace.

Piazza Navona
The Piazza Navona blanketed with tourists.

Piazza Navona
A panoramic view of Piazza Navona.

Colosseum Rome
Finally, what is Rome without the Colosseum.

More of Rome in my previous trip:

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