I went to Italy as part of my History of Art degree. I was given £500 by the University to travel to the part of Europe relevant to my studies - and as Italian Renaissance painting was my area, Rome it was! What a tough student life. I really did like Italy. Communication was the hardest part (this was the start of an Inter-rail trip round Europe, and of all the countries we visited, the Italians had the poorest English - not that my Italian is existent) but everything else about it was great. Please scroll down to view the images...
All photos © Gordon Heaney 2008
Early one morning, we headed off to see St Peter's, the most famous and visited church in the world. As you can see, this was before the (Japansese) crowds had arrived. This church was designed by Michaelangelo and is even more impressive on the inside - where you can't take photo's. [Aug 1993]
Taken from the Dome of St Peter's, this is Bernini's square - even though it's anything but square - a very impressive expanse, surrounded by hundreds of columns. This is where the masses gather to listen to the Pope. [Aug 1993]
Our 'Pensione' was quite close to the Colluseum, so we were able to wander down to it anytime we wanted. It's smaller than it once was as stone was nicked from it during the Renaissance for other building projects, but even still, it's impressive - and bigger on the inside than I expected! [Aug 1993]
This is the view from the inside of the Colluseum - I liked the way the 'floor' of the ampitheatre had been removed and you could see underneath to where the slaves, animals and Gladiators were kept. [Aug 1993]
This is the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome, an absolutely massive building from the late 19th century - so quite young by Roman standards. [Aug 1993]
I cannot for the life of me remember where this was taken. It was somewhere in Rome... [Aug 1993]
The Trevi Fountain in Rome - always busy! [Aug 1993]
Constantine's Arch in Rome [Aug 1993]
The Pantheon in Rome. Build by the Emperor Hadrian nearly 2000 years ago, the free-standing dome inside was - and still is - a marvel of Roman engineering. [Aug 1993]
