What did you do on your Summer Vacation?


What did you do on your Summer Vacation?  
I am sure it's been awhile since you wrote one of those archetypal essays.  But plunk yourself down and do it by October 31, and you could win a fantastic prize:  a library of travel magazines! 

sponsored by Wandering Educators

All of the rules can be found here.  
Entry deadline:  October 31, 2008

So, get busy!  No matter how high your grades were in school, you never earned a great prize like this!  

Must See Museums: New Exhibit at the Colosseum

If you have never been to the Colosseum (or if you've only driven past in a tour bus), then you are missing out on one of the coolest museum spaces in Rome!  In recent years curators have begun to use the second floor of the Colosseum as an exhibition space.  The shows change periodically and are always interesting.  I've seen exhibits about the Muses in art, Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid (that's where I took today's image) amongst others. 

Last week a new exhibit opened:  
Ruins and the Rebirth of Art in Italy

The exhibit is included in the admission price and is accessible by elevator for those who need it.  There is also a lovely gift shop nearby, too.  

Elisabetta Povoledo of the New York Times wrote an interesting article about the exhibit.  

ARTS / ART & DESIGN
Italy Defends Treasures (and Laws) With a Show
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
Published: October 8, 2008
Every statue, vase and archaeological shard on display in “Ruins and the Rebirth of Art in Italy,” a show that opened last week at the Colosseum in Rome, has a story to tell.

I'd love to hear your perspective, too.  If you are in Rome -- or are headed there -- let us know what you like at the exhibit!

Must See Museums: Vatican Treasures Exhibit


Want to go to Rome, but feeling a little crunched for cash?  Well, head to St. Paul, Minnesota.  The Minnesota History Center is hosting "Vatican Splendors," an exhibit of artifacts from the Vatican Museums.  The traveling exhibit opened September 27 and features items owned by Michelangelo as well as art by Bernini and Giotto.

For ticket information, visit the Minnesota History Center.

To read more about the exhibit, enjoy these articles from the Twin Cities papers:

St. Paul Pioneer Press:  "Treasures of the Church"
Minneapolis Star Tribune:  "St. Peter's in St. Paul"