Buon Giorno, Blogonauts! Let me take you on a walk. Be they sandaled tootsies or horse's hooves, evidence indicates that ancient Rome was built for feet. A single-file sidewalk may now line a twisting thoroughfare, but the acutely angled turns make it apparent that, frequently, four wheels can be a handicap. Superimposed over this loose lattice of cobblestone lanes is a web of streets that vary in their annoying narrowness. Modern Romans have filled both the sl...

Buon giorno, Blogonauts*! Italy welcomed us with open skies and a warm sunshine hug. And luckily, we stayed awake to enjoy it. Our snugly-packed 767 gave us no unusual trouble as it toted us over the Atlantic. When we landed in Rome, it was just past 9 AM. Toby met us at the Termini railway station, we parked our luggage at the nearby hotel (a short 4 blocks away), and we were off, taking in the sights in this city that is itself an ancient landmark. And a funny ...

Before I left Rome, I spent most of a day toddling through the collectrivia of the Vatican Museum, and then I slipped next door for an hour-long perusal of St. Peter's Basilica. Now, there is no doubt that the Pope's museum has one of the world's great assemblages of sculpture in the Western world. Unfortunately, its arrangement is more haphazard than well-planned, and sadly this erratic display hampers the opportunity to learn a bit more about the development ...

Ancient Rome's legacy permeates this city, but nowhere does it feel more interactive than at the Pantheon. This round, domed temple is a masterpiece of architectural symmetry and engineering. The original was constructed in the first century B.C.E., but Emperor Hadrian had it rebuilt in 126 C.E. for public worship of all the Roman Gods. ("Pan-theon" is a Greek term meaning "all the gods.") Since 609 C.E., it has served as a Christian church. Thus, because of thi...

Sometimes in art, just as in investigative journalism, you have to follow the money. Those artists who found their way to Rome and into the good graces of the Borghese family were doing just that. For in 1605, one of the Borgheses was elevated to become Pope Paul V, and he appointed his libertine, art-savvy nephew Scipione Borghese as Cardinal and as chief of all the papal affairs. (Fun Fact: The word in Italian for "nephew" is "napote." From that we derive the...