Italy Part 2: Rome (Roma), Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum, is one of the most imposing ancient structures. Imagine it all white, completely covered in splendid travertine stone slabs. It is elliptic in shape in order to hold more spectators.

It was a place where a lot of people could sit and watch entertainment. The entertainment was mostly people killing animals, or people killing each other. It was almost exactly like a football stadium today. It was built of concrete and marble and limestone.

What we see nowadays is just the skeleton of what was the greatest arena in the ancient world. Three-fifths of the outer surrounding brick wall are missing. In the Middle Ages, when no longer in use, the Colosseum was transformed into an enormous marble, lead and iron quarry used by Popes to build Barberini Palace, Piazza Venezia and even St. Peter's.

Above the ground are four storeys, the upper storey contained seating for lower classes and women. The lowest storey was preserved for prominent citizens. Below the ground were rooms and cages containing wild animals and mechanical devices. The cages could be hoisted, enabling the animals to appear in the middle of the arena.

The Arch of Constantine

This Triumphal Arch was dedicated in AD 315 to celebrate Constantine's victory three years before over his co-emperor, Maxentius.

Arch and Colosseum

The Ruins

The southern side of the Colosseum was felled by an earthquake in 847. Parts of the building - including the marble facade - were used for the construction of later monuments, including the St. Peter's Basilica.

This is an interesting video clip of "Building Rome's Colosseum".

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Italy Part 1: Vatican City (Citta del Vaticano), St. Peter’s Basilica

 Vatican City is considered an independent state as the pope is given full sovereignty through the Lateran Treaty signed between Mussolini and Pius XI in 1929. Therefore, Vatican City is the smallest 'country' with stamps of its own which tourists would send postcards to themselves through the postal service. Vatican City has its own newspaper, radio station, train station as well and even its own army, the Swiss Guards.

Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (largest church in Christianity)

Maderno's facade

Every bit of space is used to display the finest Renaissance monuments and decoration.

Dome of the Saint Peter's Basilica by Michelangelo (background)

Egyptian obelisk at the center of Saint Peter's Square, Vatican, Italy

One of the two beautiful fountains in a St. Peter's square. This one (to the right of the obelisk) is actually by Carlo Maderno.

Statue of St. Paul

Gianlorenzo Bernini's monumental colonnade with saints

To say the interior of St. Peter's is impressive would be an obvious understatement, given that it is perhaps the largest church in the world — it covers an area of 23,000 m² (5.7 acres) and has a capacity of over 60,000 people.


I think anybody who visits St. Peter's is overwhelmed by the majesty and the grandeur and the sheer size of this Basilica. When you look up at the ceiling and you see the letters, it says, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,' and you realize that the letters are actually nine feet tall and they look so small from the floor. It gives you some idea of the proportion of the Basilica.

Baldacchino, which was created by Gianlorenzo Bernini

Surrounding the baldacchino are four great piers that support the huge dome. Each pier has a large niche at its base, which is filled with a colossal statue of a saint representing each of the basilica's four major relics (Reliquae Maggiori):

NW pier - St Helena, Constantine's mother, holding a large cross

(representing the relic of the True Cross found by the saint in Jerusalem)

NE pier - St Longinus, the Roman soldier who thrust a spear in the side of Christ at the crucifixion, converted, and was later martyred

(the relic is the spear)

SE pier - St Andrew, with his trademark diagonal cross upon which he was martyred

(the relic is Andrew's head, which was returned to the Greek Orthodox Church in 1964)

SW pier - St Veronica, with the veil Christ used to wipe his face on the way to Calvary, leaving his image imprinted on it

(the relic of Veronica's veil)

The Confessio: Going down to where the excavations are, the very place where St. Peter's tomb is located. below the Papal Altar.

The beloved St. Peter Enthroned against a wild wallpaper background

The vast, opulent interior of St. Peter's

The Cathedra of St. Peter, designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1666


Michelangelo's Pietà


The glass tomb of Blessed John XXIII, below the Chapel’s Altar

Monument to Pope Benedict XV (1914-22)

Set in niches within the four piers supporting the dome are the statues associated with the basilica's holy relics: St. Helena, St. Longinus, St. Andrew and St. Veronica.

St. Longinus holding the spear that pierced the side of Jesus, by Gianlorenzo Bernini (1639)

St. Veronica holding her veil with the image of Jesus' face, by Francesco Mochi

St. Helena holding the True Cross, by Andrea Bolgi)

St. Andrew with the St. Andrew's Cross, by Francois Duquesnoy

St Peter's Basillica is incredible and the best religious church/basillica I have ever seen. It's just something everyone should see, Catholic or no.

 

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Italy Part 4: Rome (Roma), Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps (Italian: Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the church of Trinità dei Monti. The Spanish Steps is the longest and widest staircase in Europe.

 

The Spanish Steps, seen from Piazza di Spagna. The Spanish steps crowded with people, 27th Dec 2008.

 

Fontana della Barcaccia (English: "Fountain of the Old Boat") is a Baroque fresh-water fountain in Rome, Italy in the Piazza di Spagna, just below the Spanish Steps. It is so named because it is in the shape of a half-sunken ship with water overflowing its bows. The shape was chosen because, prior to the river walls being built, the Tiber often flooded and in 1598 there was a particularly bad flooding and the Piazza di Spagna was flooded up to a meter. Once the water withdrew, a boat was left behind in the square^.

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Nihon Kai (日本海) @ Old Klang Road, KL

My Rating for Nihon Kai: (3/6)

Located just off Old Klang Road, it may be hard to look for this particular restaurant as it is hidden at the back row of the shop lots. This is one of the so-called budget Japanese restaurant in KL.

The place is a nice comfy corner shop lot, with seating both downstair and upstairs. It has a normal Japanese Restaurant set up, nothing fancy. With limited seats downstairs, hence we were directed to upstairs. The environment there is bright and clean. I noticed that they have few tatami rooms too, which I think is pretty suitable for gathering.
They have Japaneses newspaper, mangas, magazine and books for you to enjoy.

Set luch: Butter salmon, served with rice, miso soup, pickles and desserts

The price is not far from Sushi King but in terms of food quality and portion, Nihon Kai is better.

Nihon Kai 日本海 Japanese Restaurant

Cuisine: Japanese
Address: 4-2, Jalan Telok Gadong, Off Jalan Klang Lama, Batu 3 1/2,58100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : +60-3-7982 3668
Operating Hours are:
DailyLunch 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Dinner 6.00pm - 10.00pm

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Bubba Gump @ The Curve, PJ

My Rating for Bubba Gump: (4/6)

Well, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant is something like a spinoff from the well know movie "Forest Gump". The first thing you notice when you enter this restaurant…its that there are pictures of Forest Gump the movie everywhere and they are even showing the Forest Gump movie on the TV. The television at the bar will keep replaying the iconic movie, "life is just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

So we are seated down and given the menus…and of course since its called the Bubba Gump restaurant…it serves mostly shrimps cuisine.

The way they take your order is different:

Red sign means that you want someone to attend to you. Blue sign means that you are fine and does need to be attended to.

Salmon with Rice

Popcorn Shrimp

Overall, the environment of the restaurant is unique and nice. The food was okay.

Bubba Gump Shrimp
Cuisines: American
Address: Lot 145, First Floor, The Curve, Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Phone: 03 -7710 9862/63

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