primavera

Yep, it's officially spring in Rome.

Mole Adriana

I'm a little obsessed with this location. This particular curve in the Tiber river, the bridges that cross it, the nearby embrace provided by St Peter's colonnade, the statues, the castle.

Castel Sant'Angelo was not always a fortress, it was first and foremost a family tomb, Emperor Hadrian's. That's why this massive structure is also known as Mole Adriana.

The original Roman monument has since then been transformed in many different incarnations over the centuries: fortified outpost; Papal escape route; obscure prison; Renaissance dwelling, again penitentiary during the Risorgimento, down to the present modern day museum. The giant bronze angel on the summit of the vast circular viewing platform sheathes his sword to announce that the AD 590 Black Plague has been defeated.

Something about the sun flare divine light hitting the beggar in this second photo gives me chills.

piazza cavour

Finally! The long awaited remodeling of Piazza Cavour was unveiled 3 weeks ago, and I for one was very happy about the new look. I'd had enough of the towering cranes and fenced off construction site, bus detours and loud noise surrounding the central Prati neighborhood square. Now Romans can finally admire the massive Palazzaccio again, salute the statue of Camillo Benso di Cavour, and enjoy the nice grassy areas between the gravel paths.

ponte #100

Ponte Sant'Angelo ~ Roma

I'm posting one of my favorite bridges to celebrate «Louis'» 100th Sunday Bridge Series, in which our dear bovine friend portrays the many souls of the Golden Gate Bridge from his window. Every Sunday, «Louis» invites participants from all over to world to share the bridges of their cities.
To see more images, head over to San Francisco Bay Daily Photo ans show some photo-love.

neve

Rome hadn't woken up to this in 27 years, but some say this year's flakes beat the 1985 snowfall. I certainly never remember Rome seeing anything like this before.
Here are a few images of my neighborhood and Villa Borghese, taken Saturday morning. I wish I could only portray the silence and the awe.

palazzetto dello sport

This photo's more about the incredible sky we were blessed with a few days ago, than the actual "palazzetto" in silhouette.
Built in 1957 and finished in time for the 17th Olympic Games of 1960, this curious steel and concrete "spaceship" arena was used for several sports, mostly basketball.

USA – Italy match held at Palazzetto dello Sport in 1960

The Palazzetto dello Sport was designed by engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, who is also responsible for the Sala Nervi in the Vatican.

foto con il telefono

You've probably been wondering where I've disappeared to. Sorry. It's just that I've been playing around with my new camera phone and enjoying a fun app called Instagram that allows you to shoot medium format photos from your iPhone, add filters and effects, and then share them on the web in matter of seconds. Here are a few test shots. Which do you prefer, viewing-wise, the bigger or the medium size?