Look! It's Another Something Old!

Dear Reader,

My parents have arrived (and no, that's not what I meant by "something old" in the title).

We started in Vicenza where the big ticket item is architecture by Palladio. While I'm not fainting over Paladian architecture, I did enjoy taking a pic with my pops in front of his statue.


Welcome to Verona! The city of Romeo and Juliet (and yummy gelato)!


The Piazza delle Erbe is the heart of the city, and it's easy to imagine the Montagues and Capulets here biting their thumbs at each other and drawing their swords.


This whale bone has been hanging in that pass for centuries, and it's rumored that it will fall on the first truly "just" person to walk under it. It hasn't fallen yet, which really stinks for the popes who've walked under it. Sorry popes!


This is the Loggia dei Consiglio which is considered the finest piece of Renaissance architecture in Verona.


Mom and I stop for a pic by the river to check out the Roman theatre and castle on the other side.


Dad and I found the souvenirs we want. Yes, that's a baby blue Lamborghini and a Ferrari. We tried not to touch.




We visited the fictional house of Juliet and the Capulets. This is me with Juliet. If you need a new love in your life you're supposed to touch her right breast. I'm happily married and also not up for public statue groping, so we skipped that legend. I did think the wall of love letters for luck in love was groovy, so I stopped for a pic.




Next city. Welcome to Venice!






St. Mark's is my favorite church in the world. And I've seen a lot of nice churches in my time. Notice all the different colors of marble used to decorate the church facade. Every inch of the massive five-domed ceiling is covered in gold mosaic with works from as far back as the Byzantine era up to the Renaissance.








The Pala d'Oro, an altarpiece, is one of my favorite works of art in the church. It's been embellished over the centuries by Venetian doges. And yes...all those gem stones are real...all 2,000 of them...even the ones the size of my thumb. And it's not a gold veneer, it's solid.


These horses are solid bronze and were originally stolen from Constantinople (where we're headed this weekend). They graced the front of St. Mark's for many years, now some copies hold their place while they chill in the museum. Apparently sets like these were quite the fashion hundreds of years ago, but this is the only complete "four in hand" chariot set that has survived.


Now I had visited St. Mark's before, but I didn't realize till this time that the Tetrachs were there. These four short kings are in every art history review class, are carved out of a very rare purple marble, and were, of course, looted from Constantinople. Historians don't know exactly who they are or what they're doing, but appear suspicious of something, holding each other and their swords. I was on the lookout myself.


I was super excited to visit the doge's palace, the Palazzo Ducale. This was my first time to go in, and while we couldn't use the camera inside, please trust me, the doge's pants were fancy and the dungeon was decidedly not. Here is a pic of the Venetian Gothic facade, the only one of its kind, and the Giants' Staircase. If you were a visiting royal the doge would greet you from the top of the stairs overlooking his courtyard. You should walk up, because the doge would never walk down to you.




Next stop...Rome!


Even if you've been to Rome more than once, some places always merit repeat viewings. The forum, behind the pic of my parents. The Colosseum, which I had only seen from the outside before, is always impressive. My dad snapped this great pic of the Elefantino with the Pantheon in the background. And my favorite fountain in Rome, the Barcaccia (fountain of the sinking boat) at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.






On this trip I also saw some new things (that are still actually very old). We visited the Vatican Museums...art historian drooling...and let me tell you, the only place with fancier stuff than a king's palace is the pope's palace. Check out the ceiling in one of the halls. All the ceilings are like this. And if you're a ninja turtle fan, we've managed to show my mom and dad three of them. Raphael's School of Athens (I had a minor art historian freak out over this one, picture below), Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel (sorry no photos allowed), and a Leonardo da Vinci in the painting gallery.




I also had my first opportunity to see St.Peter's. This place is huge! And I say that after having seen the Colosseum. All of the statues are larger than life size, and the gigantic canopy over the altar is made of bronze, which was taken and melted down from the Pantheon. I guess they thought the gods over at the Pantheon were through with it.






All in all I think my parents had a great time. We are all pretty worn out from our walking tours of these fabulous cities (12 miles in one day alone). A lot of delicious food and wine was consumed, souvenirs were purchased, and pictures were taken. It would be hard to pick a favorite moment, but I have an inkling into what they enjoyed the most. Nobody likes a good story better than my mom and Buzz Lightyear.


As they fly back home, Barrett and I head with whole Pasho clan to Istanbul, Turkey.

Bags Packed (again),
Megan