Rome - Through the ages
The river of belief
St Peter's Basilica with the river Tiber
Divine view
The view from St Peter's Basilica where Anita Ekberg once lost her hat to the wind in Fellini's La Dolce Vita is probably one of the greatest in the world.
The Vatican
Bridge of angels
This bridge was constructed between 134-139 and once used by pilgrims to reach St Peter's Basilica.
Ponte Sant Angelo
Tiber crossing
Isola Tiberina is a small island in the Tiber, similar to Île de la Cité in Paris. As such it was a convenient place for bridging the Tiber and Ponte Fabrico is the oldest surviving bridge in Rome, built in 62 B.C.
Reine at Ponte Fabrico
Larger than life
The colossal statue of Constantine is down to bits and pieces these days, stuffed away in the outdoor courtyard.
At the capitoline museums, Piazza del Campidoglio
The road towards the slaughterhouse
The construction of Colosseum, the largest amphitheater built in the Roman empire, was initialized in AD 72 and named from a giant statue of Nero nearby. Half a million people and over one million animals died in the games.
Via Fori Imperiali
From dusk till dawn
This monstrousity is effectively covering most of Capitol Hill. It's mockingly called Mussolini's typewriter and generally considered to be the ugliest building in town. In order to build it, many ancient and medieval buildings were levelled, including Michelangelo's studio.
Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II at Piazza Venezia
Eternal fear
A legend holds that the fountain designer Bernini made this figure look towards the church facade of Sant'Agnese in Agone at the west side of the square, as it was designed by his rival Borromini.
Piazza Navona
Above the stone pines
Reine on top of Monte gianicolo
Memories of destruction
At the southeast corner of the Forum lies the triumphal arch of emperor Titus. The sides contain images from the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Arch of Titus in Forum Romanum
One small step for man
Reine at the city archive
Just sitting here
Piazza Navona
Among the rubble
Reine at Forum Romanum
All roads lead to Rome
The old processional road Via Sacra crosses the forum. The stones are original, even though their places have been altered. This can be seen as the wheel track imprints are pointing in different directions.
Via Sacra, Forum Romanum
Stairway to heaven
At the foot of the Spanish Steps there is a fountain with a flooded boat, marking the spot where the Tiber reached during a severe flood in the medieval times.
Spanish steps
Taking it all in
The Doric colonnades of Bernini are surrounding the square.
Reine at St Peter's Square
The river of belief
St Peter's Basilica with the river Tiber
Risky business
The common people were not allowed to attend the meetings of the politicians, so they lurked around the stairs for eavesdropping on conversations. In order to avoid suspicion, they pretended to play a marble game and made these playfield holes in the stairs.
Ancient playfields, Forum Romanum
Lazy days
Rooftops