By Wen-Chung Chiang

Rome (Roma, 羅馬 ) I Chia-Wei and I just came back from a two-week vacation in Italy. We went to Rome, Florence, and Venice -- same places where I first visited in Italy fifteen years ago. It's Chia-Wei's first time in Italy, and I was as or even more fascinated than I had been during the first visit. I am not going to write much in this letter. The beauty of Italy is beyond any description that words can deliver. I believe everyone in his life should at least once experience the illustrious past of Rome, the great display of Renaissance in Florence, and the legendary existence of Venice. Winter seemed to be a good time traveling in Italy. There's no tourist crowd, the weather was still shinny, and the temperature was not too bad in Rome and Florence (Venice was quite cold though). The stores had a lot of clearance items -- shoes, leather and decorative goods, were gorgeous and inexpensive. The only drawback was the short day-light time. The sun was normally set before 5 PM. Compared with the 9-10 PM sunset time of summer, the sightseeing hours were quite reduced. But there're evening activities too. For instance, we attended an opera performance in the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. It's one of the best we've been to. The program was "Faust" by French composer Charles Gounod (too bad it was not Verdi or Puccini). It was brilliantly produced in a semi-modern costume, the casts were beautifully sung, and the acoustics of the opera house was heavenly.

The planning of this tour was quite successful. All transportation and connections were smooth. The hotels we were accommodated in were very nice and conveniently located. The average quality of restaurants in Italy, I must say, was better than I had previously experienced in France. We enjoyed a lot of good meals, coffee, and of course, the famous Italian dolci (desserts) and gelato (icecream). Italians were friendlier too. But English-speaking Italians were fewer than I had imagined. Thanks to my two-month practice of Italian prior to the trip. I was able to handle very simple conversations with local people, and that turned out to be quite helpful. Italy surely touched our hearts. We were moved by the great ancient architecture and the masterpieces in the museums. The experience of sitting in a quiet cafe, having a cup of hot cappuccino after a walk in the chilly weather was all unforgettable. In Italy, time seemed to advance more slowly. The magnificent history imbued the places with a special glow. To immerse ourselves in the glow and to practice my Italian again, we have decided to go back next year, with possible destinations of Milan, Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano,and Naples.

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (day & night), Rome. This huge memorial is the landmark of Rome, facing Piazza Venezia. All roads lead to Rome, and all major roads in Rome lead to Piazza Venezia. Many photographs taken this time under dim light with shutter speed up to 1/2 second without using a tripod came out fine. Not bad, wasn't it?

Pantheon, Rome — an ancient building (founded in 27 BC) perfectly preserved. The interior of Pantheon is a masterpiece of harmony and majesty. Raphael was buried here.

The fountain at Piazza Pantheon. One of the best Cafes in Rome, Caffe Tazza d'Oro, is nearby. Don't forget to get a cup of fine coffee next time when you are in Rome!

Villa d'Este, Tivoli. Tivoli is a charming small town on the lower slopes of the Apennines about one hour northeast of Rome by bus. Villa d'Este was founded by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este in The elaborated terraced gardens with statues, pools and fountains enhance its natural beauty.

Villa Adriana, Tivoli. This was probably the richest building project in antiquity and was designed entirely by Hadrian (AD )

Rome (Roma) II Hope you are not bored yet. I have tried to cut down the sizes of these image files (they were scanned from the original photographs taken by a conventional SLR camera), therefore the picture quality is not up to the normal standard. You are welcome to view my photo albums if you have time to stop by. There are much more than the ones shown here.

Arco di Settimio Severo, Foro Romano, Rome. Built in AD 203, this Arco is one of the three triumphal arches in Foro Romano, the remains of the Roman Forum. The light in the dark really brought out the splendid sculpture and carving of the arch.

Foro Romano -- the religious, political and commercial center of ancient Rome. Diocletian, Julius Caesar, and Augustus played their roles and made contribution to the constructions here.

Chia-Wei and friend walking in Colosseo, Rome. Fights between men and beasts, gladiatorial contests, races and mock naval battles took place in the arena.

Fontana di Trevi, Rome. This late-Baroque fountain is probably the most popular one in Rome. Tourists continue the tradition of throwing coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome.

Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. It's one of the four major basilicas in Rome and its campanile is the highest among them. Besides the outer beauty, its interior contains remarkable mosaics.

Atrium of Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter), Vatican. The supreme head of world's churches. Basilica di San Pietro

Florence (Firenze) 佛羅倫斯 ( 翡冷翠 ) Florence (Firenze) is set in the heart of a serenely beautiful countryside of Tuscany in central Italy. It‘s the city where an exceptional artistic and intellectual movement was cradled. Renowned figures who have flourished the western civilization such as Dante, Machiavelli, Giotto, Michelangelo, Botticelli... were from Florence. It is a city of elegance and charm too. Those of you who are familiar with Chinese modern poet Hsu Chih-Muo ( 徐志摩 ) and his notes know what "Firenze" is about.

Ponte Vecchio (Vecchio Bridge) & Arno River, Florence. This unique and beautiful bridge is the oldest one in Florence. The photograph was taken behind a window from Galleria degli Uffizi (see the reflected light at the up-left corner), one of the finest art museums in the world.

Piazza della Signoria, Florence. The many statues make the piazza virtually an open-air museum of sculpture. The one shown in the picture is the Fountain of Neptune by Ammannati.

Roofs and the bell-tower of Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. The bell-tower is one of the trademarks of Florence. In front of it stands the copy of Michelangelo's “David” (not shown in the photo).

Palazzo e Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. This austere palace is a fine example of medieval architecture planned round a majestic courtyard. There's an exceptional collection of fine sculptures here. Too bad that I couldn't recall the artist of this beauty.

Duomo (S. Maria del Fiore). This huge Gothic cathedral is an example of the Florentine style, with its sheer size, the predominance of horizontal lines and its polychrome decoration.

Venice (Venezia, 威尼斯 ) I The existence of Venice (Venezia) is legendary. There's no other city in the world like or similar to Venice. It is built on 117 islands, with 150 canals and more than 400 bridges. There's an admirable link between Venice and the sea, the link that made the city great for many centuries and that still gives it its beauty to this day.

Rio Marin, Venice. A canal is called a "rio" in Italian. Venice is all about water. See how beautiful the light reflected from the surface of the water! There are hundreds of similar places in Venice. Finding ways in Venice is like walking in a maze game. You need a detailed map, a marker, and a good sense of direction. It's also part of the fun in Venice.

Basilica di San Marco (St Mark's), Venice. St Marks combines the Byzantine and Western styles. Visitors are often overcome by a feeling of awe, owing to the extremely rich decoration and the beauty of the golden mosaic.

Basilica di San Marco, Venice. The decoration.

Gondolas, the sea, and S. Giorgio Maggiore on Isola di S. Giorgio Maggiore, Venice. The picture was taken from the main island of Venice, at Piazza San Marco.

S. Maria della Salute and the Grand Canal, Venice. The church is a distinctive feature with its modillions and concentric volutes. The Grand Canal affords one of the best views of the church as well as many other palazzi.

Venice (Venezia) II This is the final set of my Italian photos/reports. Hope you enjoy the lengthy work. If you ever need travel information of Italy (accommodation, restaurants, transportation, attractions,...), I'd be glad to help (with my limited knowledge). Also, on our way back from Italy, we stopped by Amsterdam for a night. If you are taking KLM flights, it's a good place to rest after the strenuous trip and before the long flight. We attended an evening concert at the Concertgebouw and walked relaxedly in Van Gogh Museum the next morning prior to the flight time -- a wonderful ending, wasn't it?

Gondola in Venice. For centuries gondolas have been the Venetian traditional means of transport. This picture is one of my favorites.

Our good-looking gondola guy, Venice. Too bad he didn't sing probably because we hadn't paid him a good price. This picture was taken by Chia-Wei.

A lovely window in Venice

The splendid stairway of Palazzo Contarini di Bovolo, Venice

Sunset on Grand Canal, Venice. This view could make you really want to cry. The photo was taken from Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), the main crossing between the two banks in Venice.

References  The Green Guide - Italy, Michelin Travel Publications, UK, 2001  知性之旅 - 羅馬, Discovery Channel, APA Publications GmbH & Co., 1999