Monday, 5. February 2007, 16:18:36
The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) was the political and economical centre of Rome during the Republic. It emerged as such in the 7th century BCE and maintained this position well into the Imperial period, when it was reduced to a monumental area. It was mostly abandoned at the end of the 4th century.view of the Forum looking towards the Colosseum from the top of the white Vittorio Emanuele II Monument:
The Forum Romanum is located in the city centre of modern Rome, in a valley between the Capitoline Hill on the west, the Palatine Hill on the south, the Velia on the east and Quirinal Hill and the Esquiline Hill to the north. The Velia was levelled in Antiquity.
The importance of the Forum area is indicated by the presence of many of the central political, religious and judicial buildings in Rome. The Regia was the residence of the kings, and later of the rex sacrorum and pontifex maximus; the Curia, was the meeting place of the Senate; and the Comitium and the Rostra, where public meetings were held. Major temples and sanctuaries in the Forum include the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Saturn and the Temple of Vesta. Commercial and judicial activities took place in the basilicas, the two remaining are the Basilica Aemilia and the Basilica Julia. Due to the political importance of the area there were also numerous honorary monuments.
The Forum Romanum suffered damage and destruction repeatedly. When political strife in republican times deteriorated into violence, the Forum would regularly be the scene of fierce fights between rivalling factions, often followed by destructive fires. Fire was always a problem in ancient Rome, and parts of the Forum burnt down several times, the worst fire being in 283 CE. Later the Forum suffered destruction and pillage at the hands of invaders. Most of the buildings on the Forum was destroyed completely in 410 CE, when the Ostrogoths of Alaric sacked the town. Many religious sites were abandoned and fell in ruin after the ban of non-Christian cults in 394 CE.
After the fall of the empire in the west, the area was abandoned. A few buildings were converted into churches, including the Curia, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and the Temple of Divus Romulus; the rest was left to shepherds and their animals, to the extent that the popular name of the area became Campo Vaccino, the cattle field.
Archaeological excavations began in 18th century, but the site have only been excavated systematically in the 20th century. Many of the later additions to buildings and monuments have now been removed and the original street level has been restored over large parts of the Forum.
The site of the Forum Romanum is still subject to excavations, and several parts of the Forum cannot be visited, but the whole area has the status of an archaeological site, open to visitors.
Saturday, 3. February 2007, 23:04:15
Vatican City, officially State of the Vatican City, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it is the smallest independent nation in the world and is classified as a microstate. The Vatican City is situated on the Vatican Hill in the west-central part of Rome,
It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756 to 1870). Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy and is governed by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic Church.The Vatican City State has the distinction of having the smallest and oldest regular army in the world, the Swiss Guard. It was founded by Pope Julius II on January 22, 1506, and originally made up of Swiss mercenaries from the Swiss Confederation. They currently number a little over 100 men and are also the personal bodyguards of the Pope. Recruitment is restricted to Catholic male Swiss citizens.
The Vatican also has a vast museum with perfectly executed wall paintings such as The Disputation of the Sacrament, which includes many true historical figures like popes, cardinals and Dante, and it's by Raphael. Unlike Michelangelo's, the Sistine Chapel, visitors are allowed to take photos of this one. 
On the way out from the Vatican museum, I was back on the main, impressive square San Pietro.
This is from that window and balcony below that the Pope greets the crowd and addresses to them, making speeches to the world at large in different languages.
Wednesday, 15. November 2006, 13:55:28
Tuscany is a charmed land of gently rolling hillsides, bounded by single files of darker green cypress trees, snaking sandy roads leading to rust-colored farmhouses and moss-coated castles and symmetrically rounded hilltops surmounted by towns such PISA and LUCCA
I was dozzing off in one of this slow Italian train after such a long day wandering in the streets of Florence...the weather was nice sunny and warm- about 90F (30Celsius)....I was dreaming, but can't quite remember of what I was dreaming when I suddenly woke up...the train had arrived to my next destination:LUCCA: 
Lucca is a fine Tuscan town close to Florence and Pisa. The small and compact town sits on an alluvial plateau near the Serchio river, 19 meters above sea level. Lucca is located 19 miles (31km) northeast of Pisa and 55 miles (88km) west of Florence in Northern Tuscany. It takes 70 minutes to an hour and a half to go from Lucca to Florence. Lucca is roughly oval, flat and hardly a mile across. Within this span there are no wide roads to cross, but a multitude of old churches, little piazzas, towers and family businesses. Behind many an arching doorway there is a glimpse of vaulted passage or columned yard, usually private. Streets are so narrow in Lucca that there very few cars and little traffic. This is a town where you can dispense with a map and simply walk or, like the locals, cycle!
Lucca from Above: Guinigi TowerThe strangest sight in Lucca is perhaps the Casa Guinigi.
Casa Guinigi was the fifteenth-century home of Lucca's leading family. Like rich folks of the period, they built a tower. This one, however, is unique for the oaks that grow and whose roots have grown into the room below. You can climb up and get wonderful views of Lucca in all directions
Lucca and Puccini:Lucca's greatest cultural contribution has been musical. Lucca is home to Puccini. The city had a "singing school" as early as A.D. 787, and this crucible of musical prodigies gave the world Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), the composer who revitalized chamber music in the 18th century with such compositions as his widely famous Minuet no. 13, and most famously the operatic genius Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), whose Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Turnadot, and La Bohème have become some of the world's favorite operas.Statue of Puccini and his house
Lucca and its churches: Northwest of the Duomo across Via Fililungo, the facade of San Michele in Foro church is a triumph of eccentricity, each of its loggia columns different, some twisted, others sculpted or candy-striped. The interior is relatively plain, though there's a good Andrea della Robbia terracotta and a painting by Filippino Lippi. 
Lucca has many churches but if you walk to the city centre, you will find its main church on Piazza San Martino, the Duomo of San Martino sculpted in part by Nicola Pisano
Northeast of here, the basilica of San Frediano has a facade with a brilliant thirteenth-century mosaic of Christ in Majesty and fine treasures inside, most enjoyable of which is the font carved with Romanesque scenes of Moses, the Good Shepherd and Apostles; set behind it is a ceramic Annunciation by Andrea della Robbia. 
PISA:
Pisa has an enormously long history behind it. Starting out as an Etruscan settlement, turned into a Roman city, wealthy Middle Ages, and is now a modern city with remarkable sites.
Santa Maria della Novella:
Tuesday, 14. November 2006, 23:27:00
Florence can be a bit of a difficult city: the sheer volume of people crammed into the centre of this Renaissance city can be overwhelming. Nearly all of the main sights in Florence lie within the city centre. However, there is so much classic art at every corner of the streets that even given the city’s small size, it’s impossible to see it all in a short visit. 
Did you know that the Historic city centre has more artistic treasures per square metre than any other city in the world!
Central Florence is dominated by the splendid Piazza del Duomo ,and, at its core, the Duomo, the city’s cathedral, its exterior inlaid with intricately patterned pink, white and green marble.I have never seen such a big cathedral. it’s so huge that there’s no point nearby from which you can see the entire building. 
Climb up into the dome for a bird’s-eye view, it offers extraordinary views:
Piazza Della Signoria: Of all its many squares, this is Florence’s showpiece piazza, with the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Vecchio and Michelangelo’s David, and a few sexy nymphs and satyrs splashing in Ammanati’s over-the-top Neptune fountain.Neptune Fountain:
Perseus and Medusa:
David:
Heading towards the river from the piazza Signoria, the piazzale degli Uffizi is home to the greatest museum of Renaissance art in the world, the Uffizi Gallery. Occupying the former offices of the Medici administration, many of Italy’s most celebrated paintings can be seen here – the Uffizi has a room filled with nothing but Botticellis, including the famous Birth of Venus and the glowing Allegory of Spring, along with stunning works by Michelangelo and Titian. Palazzo Uffizi:
The Uffizi Gallery:
The Birth Of Venus:
Heading down towards the river Arno from the Uffizi brings you to the whimsical Ponte Vecchio,which dates back to the 14th century. With its tiny jewellery shops that are perilously perched on a narrow river crossing, the Vecchio is one of the most photographed bridges in Europe.
walking on Ponte Vecchio:
view from Ponte Vecchio:
Santa Croce:
The huge area that surrounds Santa Croce is one of Florence’s richest neighbourhoods in which to explore.
Piazza Santa Croce:
Nearby, on piazza Santa Croce, the mock-Gothic church of Santa Croce dates back to the 13th century, and is filled with the tombs of the city’s illustrious dead. Dante’s tomb is just a memorial, as he was buried in Ravenna, but Michelangelo does actually lie in his elaborate tomb, as does Galileo in his.Dante's Memorial:
Santa Croce Church:
Michelangelo's Tomb:
Galileo's Tomb:
Oltrarno & Beyond, Walking along the river Arno and climbing the steps to Piazza Michelangelo, offers the visitors rewarding and stunning panoramic views of the city as I found out after an exhausting, but somehow exciting trip to that magnificent city- Florence.
Florence and the Arno River:
Florence by night:
Florence and its bridges:
...and finally it gives me great pleasure to introduce you the very famous....the one and only....Yes!, I met him....the genius MICHELANGELO:
Sunday, 15. October 2006, 17:15:23
What a great venue! The church had an amazing acoustic....My Latest Novel had a few UK dates planned for the fall...They played at the Union Chapel on April 10th 2006....The show was scheduled for 9:30pm...It was one of this dark, windy night when you'd rather stay at home by the fire place with a glass of wine....Inside the church people started to gather and take seat...it was full...candles were placed around the stage, and you could hear and see through the stained glass the lightning...What an atmosphere!!!...perfect for a session with My Latest Novel and their beautiful pop mixed with dark and noisy post-rock melodies...
They really commanded our attention...The show was simple and superb...They played until 10:30pm....Setlist included Ghost In A Gutter, Pretty In A Panic, The Hope Edition, Learning Ego, Sister Sneaker Sister Soul, The Reputation Of Ross Francis, Wrongfully, I rested....
The band is a five-piece from Glasgow and some people saw them as successors to Belle & Sebastian...They played the violin, acoustic and electric guitars, accordion, drums and keyboards on stage...THIS IS A TRULY STUNNING DEBUT FROM THESE FIVE GIFTED GLASWEGIANS!!!ps: I think the quality of the pictures is quite good when you think it was taken in a dark church with a mobile phone camera!
Sunday, 17. September 2006, 18:41:39
Sunday, 17. September 2006, 18:03:45
Saturday, 12. August 2006, 21:39:46
This was taken on August 03rd 2006 with my mobile phone sony ericsson, which explains the mediocre quality of pictures. Those photos were taken by night, in poor light condition too. This was an outdoor promenade performance -taking place on the southbank of river Thames, near Waterloo Station- The story was simple: the night was falling, A medieval cart was wheeled through town. A young man was taken to his final judgement. This was 'Arquiem': a story of first-love and a murder ballad.
Inspired by Wiliam Blake's Songs of Innocence & Experience and Robert Browning's Porphyria's Lover, Arquiem was a powerful and distinctive piece with haunting music, new text, pyrotechnics, acrobatics and beautiful crafted mobile structure to tell this simple story of a boy who murders his love to preserve the memory of one moment forever.
The Royal National Theatre by night:
This was absolutely a unique experience where there was no boundaries between actors and spectators...We had to follow the actors who were acting in the streets around Waterloo area...They were using the town as their own stage and were performing with a dark energy and stunning visual effects....Absolutely fantastic, atmospheric and superb!!!
Friday, 11. August 2006, 19:17:30
Tuesday, 8. August 2006, 22:01:00
HELLO!!!....WE ARE MID-THROUGH TO SUMMER AND STILL A FEW WEEKS LEFT WITH GREAT FESTIVALS AND AWESOME MUSIC SO I THOUGHT I'D CHANGE MY PAGE LAYOUT AND UPDATE IT WITH SOMETHING A BIT MORE GROOVY AND FUNKY...THE HEADPHONES AND GIANT SPEAKER SOUNDS THE PERFECT OPTION FOR THOSE SUMMER FESTIVALS...
ENJOY THE NEW PAGE!!! AND KEEP READING AND CHECKING....'FRUITSTOCK' COMING SOON!!!!
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