Italy - # - www.retake.com

A week-long excursion to the heart of the ancient civilized world, Italy, with side trips to Pompeii and Florence.

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A Sicilian restaurant in the heart of Rome, near the Spanish Embassy. When we ordered sea bass, they actually brought the freshly-caught sea bass and secured out approval. The best fish we'd ever had. Anyway, these colors struck me as the typical sidewalk cafe, and enjoying a slow meal every evening is the highlight of experiencing Italy.

Faux butterflies for refrigerator magnets, all neatly arranged in an alley fully of graffiti.

Hopeful candles against the background of the nave in colorful bokeh form.

No photography was allowed, but I snuck this anyway by sitting cross-legged on the floor, guessing at the aim, and looking sideways as I used the alternate shutter release on the bottom of the camera body. This piece by Michaelangelo was carved from one solid piece of marble and stands 17' tall.

Thousands of people were buried alive in the volcanic eruption that buried Pompeii. The lava formed a hard cast around the original body shape. As they excavated the ruins, they filled the void with plaster to recreate the original human shape, seen here. It almost looks like he's praying to escape death.

Looking straight up a the domed ceiling of the Pantheon, one of the largest such domes in the world.

How Salvador Dali might have painted a mashed bicycle wheel. I found the damaged remains still chained up in the alley.

A Sicilian restaurant in the heart of Rome, near the Spanish Embassy. When we ordered sea bass, they actually brought the freshly-caught sea bass and secured out approval. The best fish we'd ever had. Anyway, these colors struck me as the typical sidewalk cafe, and enjoying a slow meal every evening is the highlight of experiencing Italy.