Rick's Roadshow: Italy, Day 6- The Vatican in Rome

Here we are at day six of Rick's Roadshow from Rome, Italy. We spent a great deal of time at the Vatican. I've been there before, so during this visit I was able to spend more time seeing things I glossed over at the last visit. I took this photo of St. Peter's Square, looking straight on toward the Basilica, which is an enormous structure once you get inside. I didn't take any photos inside the Basilica, mainly because it is so overwhelming and difficult to get the sense of scale from my little camera. Since I did a series of posts on this blog about the Vatican museum last September/October I won't duplicate any of that. Instead, here are a few other images from the Vatican:

above: a commanding statue of St Peter. Note the cool clock on the roof at top right.

above: I have a thing for water fountains...

above: The Swiss Guards, in service to the Pope

Some Fabulous Ceilings at the Vatican Museum

what is there to say about these magnificent works of art?

Virtually every ceiling in the Vatican Museum is breath taking an truly amazing.

above: these are old precious rings worn from prior Popes. Two things struck me: the stones were huge, and the ring sizes were very large too.

above: the Tevere river, just outside of Vatican City. I crossed this bridge and took these photos below:

above: angels along the bridge crossing the Tevere River

above: The Romans are known for amazing aqueducts and an abundance of water. That water flows freely throughout the city, from major fountains, to drinking stations across the city.

above: The famous Spanish Steps are always a crowd pleaser.

above: This is one end of the water fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps. I like how the water flows from the mouth of the sun. Well the time has come for me to head back to Palm Springs. This was just a quick jaunt to Italy and it has come to an end. Tomorrow I'll probably post one more entry about Rome, so please come back.
-Signore Ricardo Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Vases of the Vatican Museum

My visit to Rome and the Mediterranean Cruise a few weeks back provided a great deal of content for the blog. Without question there was a plethora of breathtaking and stunning art wherever we went in Italy, France, Monaco and Montenegro. My brief visit to the Vatican Museum was a veritable gold mine of art. I took hundreds of photos that day, and chose to focus on three main subjects: Statues, Vases and Ceilings. If I had a few days to spend in the Vatican Museum I could have easily come up with several photo series. I'll just have to make another trip back to Rome. Last week I presented the Sunday Art Review: Statues of the Vatican. Next Sunday I hope you can return to see the photos of the ceilings within the Vatican Museum. Today I am pleased to present the Sunday Art Review: Vases of the Vatican Museum. None of these vases had titles so I shall assign names for the sake of any comments. Enjoy~

above: "Rosso"

above: "Nero"

above: "Octagon"

above: "Vase 43"

above: "Wing Marble"

above: " Verde-Nero"

above: "Fiori dell'oro"

above: "Fiori Rosso"

above: "Leoni dell'oro"

Thanks ever so for stopping by the Sunday Art Review. Have a great Sunday!

-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Statues of the Vatican Museum

Having returned from the Mediterranean cruise, I can now resume the regular features of the blog. I took a few days off from writing to recharge the old batteries and get back into the swing of things. I am pleased to return to the blog with today's Sunday Art Review: Statues of the Vatican Museum. The Vatican contains one of the greatest art collections in the world, with enormous variety and depth. I spent hours there, but could have spent weeks exploring. In many ways my visit to the Vatican Museum was a farce. Despite being on a private guided tour, I was moving so quickly it was next to impossible to absorb what I was seeing, let alone take notes. I chose to focus in on a few works in particular. This week I present the statues that were of interest to me. I deeply regret that I do not have any titles, artist names or date of origins, so you'll have to just use your eyes and enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by today's Sunday Art Review: Statues of the Vatican Museum. Next Sunday we will explore Vases.

-Rick Rockhill