I am off to Rome for a day or two next week. I have never been to Italy so I'm really looking forward to it, started reading up on what to do and where to go today.
What are your top tips? What should I not miss, and are there any special photo tricks I should know?
Dear Heather,
It is obvious from your images that your trip to Rome was very successful and that you have considerable ability as a photographer, a real aesthetic sense. You obviously don't need advice as to what and where to shoot, but I would like to offer advice to other photo enthusiasts who are going to Rome for the first time.
I will offer not what is best in Rome, who can say that, but what I have found to be my favorites.
Piazza Navona, is often considered the best urban square in the world, and it is especially fascinating at night with all the activities, artists, street entertainers, cafes, restaurants, and of course the world famous Bernini Fountains.
My favorite is nearby, the Piazza del Rotunda, which is in front of the Pantheon, the oldest building still in continuous use in the world, and an architectural masterpiece.
The Piazza itself is a delight, sit in a cafe for a while and observe life there.
Around the corner from the Piazza is the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where Galileo was tried by the Inquisition. In the front outside is and elephant sculpture by Bernini, with a small obelisk on its back. Many tourists to the Pantheon never notice this church, which has a important art inside, including a sculpture of Christ by Michelangelo.
If a visitor has lot and lots of of money, they could stay in the Hotel del Senato at P. della Rotunda, in a small room in the front with a balcony overlooking the P. della Rotunda. The views of the P. are spectacular.
I advise people to avoid American hotels. Rather, they should look for a hotel near P. della Rotunda or P. Navona or the Spanish steps, or Trevi, in that order.
Il Foro Romano is the Roman Forum, a ten minute taxi ride away, the most important site in ancient Rome, the center of ancient Rome. If a person gets there at the right time, while it is open, they can walk down in it.
It can be viewed from above at any time from the Tarpean Rock, which is accessible from P. del Compidoglio, designed by Michelangelo and combining intimacy and grandeur in an incredibly beautiful way.
The Trevi Fountains are remarkable and are beloved by tourists. They are especially romantic at night.
The Spanish Steps are another interesting piazza, with a fountain sculpture and monumental steps where people gather, including Romans, at all hours, as at Trevi.
The Campo dei Fiori, a flower market at certain times of day, is a gathering place for Romans. The towering statute of the philosopher Giordano Bruno, stands on the exact spot where he was burned alive by the Inquisition, shortly before the trial of Galileo.
I enjoy taking photos of the places I have mentioned, plus outdoor cafes, street entertainers, and the exterior or even the interior, of stores that interest me, and restaurants where I am having a meal, and street scenes, and the interiors of churches. I use lots of establishing shots at 28m or 35 mm to give a sense of the locale and the environment, and a few short telephotos shots of details of buildings. Long zooms I find useless, Rome is too crowded.
For some really lovely and inspiriing photos of Rome by an artist, a teacher of the history of art, and an accomplished travel photographer, I enjoy the images posted by Carolyn Hammett on the web.
Krugman