Institute de S.Dorotea della Frassinetti Rome

... government since the last real King of Italy abdicated in 1943. Silvio is king now, owns the largest private broadcasting companies and controls all the public ones. Soccer and game shows with big breasted women account for most of the TV programming. News is for Albanians.

The place can be so profound and so trivial. Piazza Navona, an oval laid out 2000 years ago as an arena, and occasionally flooded for battle re ...

... the early development of this political, religious, and social center of the city's earliest period.  Although I had been to the Forum before, I was floored when I set foot on the Palatine Hill--the view is gorgeous, and you're able to see everything down below.  We concluded our time there with a visit to the Carcer Tullianum, part of an ancient prison that housed prisoners of state. Interestingly, Sts. Peter and Paul are said to have been imprisoned there, and apparently the ...

We arrived in Frankfurt without incident. On the way in, we flew over the city and had a very nice view of the commerical center on the river. Upon arrival in Frankfurt, we had to go from the long-haul international terminal to a terminal that I think they use for flights within the EU. To get from one terminal to the next, you have to go through passport control. There was a ...

... borderline rude NO to many a flower salesman at the Fontana di Trevi (a big, complicated device that spurts water and looks grand), as they would attempt to place a flower in my or Elni's hand and hang around smiling stupidly until we put aside our Victorian education. For those visiting, never EVER accept a rose that they are 'giving to you'; they'll just trap you into paying for it. Rome was sublimely ancient; that much is obvious. The colloseum, the ...

... I wanted to get lost for a while and check out the back streets and the many plazas - conveniently I stumbled right into the Pantheon. The Pantheon is one big room with a giant hole in the roof - a great 15 minute look around at best. Rome is amazing, and I could have easily spent a week in this city (time permitting). I also wanted to take this moment to thank all my tens of viewers for your support and looking forward to my adventures as well - I also ...

... Ponte Vecchio out the west windows is also amazing. Yes, I took that picture, too. By contrast, someone who actually is LIVING in the current century has made a compelling success out of the Duomo museum - such a modern attitude, such ancient materials. After having read "Brunelleschi's Dome" a while back (it's also for sale in the gift shop) it was a thrill to see his original models for the dome (I took pictures) and his death mask, and a display of the mason's tools and scaffolding used.

This last weekend we all went to Roma! Wow, It was huge! I loved it. A lot of walking was involved. Rome was a little different than Napoli in the sense that the historical sites are so much grander and prettier. You feel like you're back in Roman times. The buildings are huge and their are so many streets--the map saved our lives. I saw so many gorgeous things. The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, The ...

... is located, and within 10 minutes, came across a fountain. At first thinking I'd reached Trevi fountain, upon referring to my map, discovered it was called Barberino. At this fountain, I notice these 2 jap or korean chicks looking a bit lost. I think about helping them, and maybe tagging along to wherever they're going, but before I could muster up enough courage to ask them if they need help, they figure out where they're going and walk off. Oh well :) I take a slight deviation ...

... which was buzzing with tourists. Inside, it is quite spectacular and in my opinion, one of the best preserved buildings in Roman history (that I have seen anyway). Not much of a solmn feeling here but it was spectacular just the same. Walking some more back to the hostel. When in Rome...you walk so much but around every corner there is something to see be it a fountain or monument or ruin. You would be cheating yourself greatly by opting for the metro. I said a heartfelt ...

... from the places they take you to. "Do you need a place to stay?" For lack of something to do, more than out of interest, we asked him where it was. And two minutes later, blowing off Zorro, who hadn't seemed too interested in picking up his commission, we had our backpacks back on and were trudging off up the street after this guy. 60,000 lira saw us in our own room overlooking the street on ...