My Day with Michelangelo

St. Peter's Basilica: Michelangelo designed the Great Crossing and the dome

Michelangelo's Pieta, the work of a man who lost his mother when he was six years old

It sounds crazy, even to me, but I feel like I know Michelangelo -- as if across the centuries we have become friends in all the time I have spent with him. So I am always happy to be in his presence -- to study and admire yet again the indelible marks he left on Rome. Today: the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. 

The Sistine Chapel: an illicit photo

Tomorrow: Ancient Rome. 

The weather is gorgeous! And the Euro is at a historic low -- $1.05. Come to Rome with me!

Pilgrimage to the Pantheon

For many years my first stop in Rome has been the Pantheon. This ancient building speaks to me. So many Roman ruins require a great deal of imagination to see what the Romans saw, but not the Pantheon. And the roof with the oculus... amazing! 

I have always wanted to be in the Pantheon on Pentecost. As part of the service they shower red rose petals through the oculus into the church. Someday…

It is busy now in Rome. The students and tour groups have begun to arrive for the season. And there are programs here because it is Lent. But the crowds don't bother me.  It's beautiful – – sunny and in the 60s. Perfect weather for sightseeing.

More tomorrow! Ciao! 

Andiamo! Off to Italy!

A little light reading... 

It has been far too long, Italia, but I am on my way. This is my first international trip without my wee bambino... But there have been big changes in my life, and I am back to writing, traveling, and snapping photos with much more frequency.

A new life and a new website! I hope you like the new digital digs! They are a work in progress, but I hope it will be easier to find what you need. 

Take me a minute and subscribe to my blog, and updates will find you in your inbox. And You will find me on Facebook, too: Pining for Rome. 

Ok. We are somewhere over the Atlantic. Time to get back to my book -- one I missed in my post-partum fog. More from Italy! Ciao!