Another silk tapestry
Stunning

 

These three photos are of an incredibly large silk tapestry
that most people walked by without noticing
Perhaps the art of the other side of the hallway was more interesting...
but I don't agree 

Merry Christmas

Can you imagine the work that went
into this floor...

Or how about this one?

 

Floor to ceiling
Everything is covered with art

These two Egyptian Warriors seem out of place here
Standing guard over the Roman elite

 
 

This is a statue not a painting
Stunning!

We're not even into the 'best part' of the museum yet...
everyone comes to see the Sistine Chapel

 

Welcome to the Vatican Museum
As you can plainly see it's very popular with tourists
We are following the orange and red flag...

Just like the ceilings in the Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
 there is much to see

 

I liked this Pine Cone ? sculpture
This building is the exit of the museum into the gardens

A strange picture I know...
Wall on the right has been cleaned
Wall on the left has not
This is what the pollution does to stone/marble

 

We had a wake up call at 5:30
Our group was waiting outside the Vatican Museum by 7
We were two blocks away from the main entrance, standing in line with
all the other booked groups
The line moved well enough that we were admitted by 7:45

The dome of St. Peter's Cathedral
taken
from the garden 

 

Stone statues were added in 
1688

You can see the Castel in the background

 

Welcome to Rome and the Tiber River

This is the famous Castel Sant'Angelo
or Castle of the Holy Angel

'Initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum 
for himself and his family'
135 AD
Later converted into a fortress, a papal residence, a prison and finally a museum

 

I will add that this building is a 'stone's throw away' from the Vatican and it is said that 

                                                   there is a hidden passageway to and from.

I wish that this Angel photo was lighter, she was amazing!

More intricate fairies to welcome you to Naples

 

I believe this was once a government building

The ceiling was magnificent

and so were the mosaic floors

 

Next we went to Naples
We only spend an hour here...that was enough

The main square

Up close and personal to the Basilica

 

This was Pompeii
You can see the main 'square' near the left side of the artist's rendition
&
The half moon theatre near the lower right side

The only interior that actually survived was a
brothel and I didn't think that you would want to see the (explicite) mosaics
that are still intact

End of Pompeii

At the end of the square, stacked on shelves to the ceiling are the 
remains of Pompeii
Above is a cement outline of a 
person found in the ashes and lava of the volcano

All the worldly goods of the people of Pompeii

If you ever get a chance to see a documentary about this 
moment in time...Watch it! Fascinating!

The farthest wall of the Villa that is still in place
Can you imagine the vibrancy of the interior when it was built? 

 

Very Little remains of the Villa that once stood here, except for one rear wall
&
The red walls that kept out the common people

 

It is thought to be the grand entrance to the Villa that once stood 

Up close and personal with the intricate carvings

 

The main gathering place for the people of Pompeii
Please note the tourists on the ride side of the picture looking at a protected section of an archway
More pictures of that to come

 

Working our way to the city centre
More ruins below

I have forgotten to include some of
Glen's photos
Here are some more of the marble floor

And look at this one!
The mosaic floor of a Villa of a highly important family

                                                              

 

Group Sauna

Light source

This is harder to explain...
I believe this is the main pool
The stone stacks held up the floor and the hot water
was poured between. 
Like in floor heating

This is a four person 'hot tub'
The water would come via an aqueduct
thru the hole

 

Not entirely sure what this mural used to show...a serpent maybe

Another view of the men's side of the bath house
Locker room?

Mens side

Women's Side
Only light was from the glassless window

 

Public Baths

Welcome to the ruins of the public bath