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Trastevere - Rome, Italy

An Evening in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

We visited Trastevere for dinner on one of our last evenings in Rome. The area is just south of the Vatican City and is now referred to as Rome's bohemian left bank. It is known for its vibrant street life. The tightly packed, decaying buildings and the cobbled streets give it an old world feeling. Apparently some of the older locals haven't been to the "other side" of the river for a number of years.

Read on for more images and info.

Alfresco dining in Trastevere - Rome, Italy 

The heart of Trastevere is Piazza di Santa Maria which is a pedestrianised cobblestone square. The square is named after the church "Santa Maria in Trastevere", one of the oldest churches in the city. It is famous for the mosaic of the Madonna and Child which can be seen above the entrance (image below) in a protective niche.

The Mosaic of the Madonna and Child at Santa Maria in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

Trastevere is home to a number of other churches as well as the Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens). The gardens include a sight and scent garden for the visually impaired. A number of important people, including Julius Ceasar, built their villas around here.

An artists work in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

The steps around the fountain in the middle of the square are a popular meeting point. Due to the fact that there is a crowd around the fountain, many artists try to sell their work in the area. The picture above shows the work of an artist who only uses can's of spray paint to create the "paintings" that can be seen around him. It took him about 10 minutes to create one of these. Since I used a long exposure the artist's movement has been captured in the frame.

A cobble stone street in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

The nightlife in Trastevere attracts the younger crowd and as a result, things stay open a lot later than usual. We went there for dinner on a week night and found the place buzzing well after midnight. 

Restaurants along piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

All the images in this post were captured with a Canon 7D and a Canon 24-105mm lens. A Tripod was used to capture all of these images.

A restaurant along a lane way in Trastevere - Rome, Italy

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St Paul's Cathedral - London

St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge - London

St Paul's Cathedral stands on Ludgate Hill, which is the highest point in the city of London. The Cathedral which stand's today is actually the fifth "St Paul's" which has been built on the same site. At 111m in height, it was London's tallest building until the 1960's. The funeral of Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill, jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana were all held here.

Read on for more images and info.

St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge - London

The photographs with Millennium Bridge in the foreground were taken from the opposite bank of the Thames, near the Globe Theatre (which will be covered in a future post). Unfortunately I was unable to photograph the interior of the church as photography is not allowed.

The current St Paul's was built by Sir Christopher Wren, who started designing it in 1668 and was inspired by St Peters Basilica in Rome. Although only one dome is visible, the structure consists of three domes. The inner dome provides the aesthetically pleasing interior. The outer dome serves no structural purpose but again, is good to look at. Between these two domes sits a third structural cone which supports the apex structure and the exterior dome. The stairs which lead to the top of the dome runs between them.

St Paul's Cathedral - London

The inner dome contains three galleries, The internal whispering gallery, The external stone gallery and the external golden gallery. The climb to the top is not the easiest, especially if you are claustrophobic, but the view from the top is worth it.

View from the top of St Paul's - London

The tombs of Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington can be found in the crypt. The crypt also serves as a chapel for the order of the British Empire and the Treasury. A number of valuable artefacts have been stored in the cathedral over the years but a robbery in 1810 took almost all of the remaining artefacts.        

St Paul's Cathedral - London

Getting to St Pauls is pretty easy as there is an underground station right near the church. We visited the area twice while we were in London. Firstly when we went to see the Cathedral and climb the dome adn secondly in the night when we went to the Globe to watch "A comedy of errors". after the performance we wondered around the opposite bank of the Thames and the cathedral taking photographs of it.  It was annoying to have to carry the tripod and camera with me throughout the evening but I'm quite happy with the photographs so I guess it was worth it.

St Paul's Cathedral from across the Thames - London

All the images in this post were captured with a Canon 7D and the 24-105mm lens. A Tripod was also used for the night shots, which were long exposures.

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