Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy

On February 12, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy4 Comments

The Piazza Navona is a famous square in Rome that was built on the site of an ancient, open space stadium from the 1st century. Today it is busy with local artists, restaurants and cafes, local residents, and tourists. With its large Egyptian obelisk, the Fountain of the Four Rivers demands attention in the center of piazza. The square was defined as a public space in the 15th century where it hosted the city market. Later, during the reign of the pontificate of Innocent X, the square became significant for its Baroque architecture with the focal point being his family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili.

Fountain of the Four Rivers and the Palace

There are two other fountains in the square, one on the southern end of the square being the Fontana del Moro, which has four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta, and on the northern end is Fountain of Neptune. Even at night, the Fountain of the Four Rivers is beautiful to see as the basin is lit up to highlight the statues at the base of the obelisk. Crowds remain in the piazza well into the evening, especially on warmer nights. We stayed at a boutique hotel that was situated on the square, so we had wonderful views of the people enjoying the beautiful area.

If you enjoy people watching, then the piazza, with its outdoor cafes, is a perfect location for you. At one point, we even watched as a marching band of children marched passed the fountains. There are also street artists playing music and a variety of painters offering unique paintings of famous sites in Rome. During our time there, we always saw people sitting on the benches and eating a meal, however we chose to have a glass of wine at several of the locally owned restaurants.

Perhaps this square is not as well known as some other locations in Rome, but it is certainly a top place to visit when coming to the city. It was featured in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons and several scenes from the film adaptation were filmed in the piazza. With all of the local restaurants in the surrounding streets as well as the square itself, it is a great place to spend a few hours and relax in the bustling city.

Lucca, Italy

On January 26, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy9 Comments

When traveling around Tuscany, one stop that is definitely worth visiting is Lucca. It is a walled, medieval city with plenty of charm and wonderful little restaurants. You probably don’t need more than a half-day to visit Lucca and combining it with a trip to Pisa is probably a good idea. The Duomo di Lucca is truly a beautiful, typical gothic cathedral and is one of the highlights of the city. We definitely enjoyed walking the narrow streets, looking in the various shops, and enjoying a wonderful lunch.

The highlight of our trip to Lucca was climbing to the top of Torre Guinigi, which is a tower with oak trees growing on top of it that offers incredible views of the city. Another point of interest is the statue of Giacomo Puccini, the famous opera composer, that sits in a piazza. Every year there is a festival held in Lucca to celebrate the composer and his contributions to opera.

Artwork Behind the Altar in the Cathedral

Although we were there on a rainy and overcast day, spending time in this quaint little city was extremely enjoyable. Tuscany has so many wonderful locations to visit, but Lucca is certainly one worth considering if you are touring the area. With its historic wall that is still standing and medieval architecture, you can wander the streets for hours. Located just an hour or two outside of Florence, it is also a perfect day trip if you are staying there as we were.

The Vatican Museums in Vatican City

On July 21, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy15 Comments

When traveling to Rome, one of the highlights is taking the time to visit Vatican City and specifically the Vatican Museums. Throughout history, the Popes have collected artistic treasures from throughout the world. The majority of the artwork that the church has collected is not on display, but what is on display is overwhelming and can’t be taken in during a single visit to the museums or even to just one of the museums. We were on a tour of Vatican City and our guide asked us whether we wanted to focus on the paintings or on the sculptures since there wouldn’t be time to see both. We decided upon the sculptures, but we really wish we could have had enough time to see both.

There are 54 galleries spread out inside of the museums and even 4 museums dedicated to the various sculptures. With over 50,000 pieces of art and approximately 20,000 of them on display, the total area of the museums is daunting. Included in the galleries is the final stop on any tour to the museums, which is the Sistine Chapel. You often get very limited time inside of the Sistine Chapel, but we were fortunate to be able to stay as long as we wanted, which was truly a memory that we will never forget. Photography is not allowed, although some people were sneaking photos, but we chose to obey the rules and not take any photos ourselves.

The very first piece of art collected and put on display at the museums over 500 years ago is the Laocoön and his Sons, which truly is an amazing marble sculpture with incredible details. It was put on display one month after its discovery in 1506 at a vineyard in Rome. There were so many interesting pieces of art that we couldn’t come close to describing them all here, but one other statue that we found fascinating was of a man with a child on his shoulder with such lifelike eyes. One thing that is hard not to notice is that many of the statues have been “censored” by the church through the addition of fig leaves, which we think is a shame since it modifies the original sculpture.

Like many other large museums, to truly appreciate all of the artwork you would need to visit many times and spend more time truly enjoying each piece of art. At a certain point, when you are walking past masterpiece after masterpiece, the mind starts to tune out and you stop absorbing the beauty that is in front of you. No visit to Vatican City would be complete without visiting the museums, especially to see the spectacular Sistine Chapel.