Scenes from the Streets of Rome

You wouldn't know Pepsi even exists in Rome - there is no sign of it anywhere except in McDonald's






All the cars are little which makes parking easier....but that doesn't stop them from being shmucked...almost every car I saw had something scraped or crumpled....

Spectacular Mosaics and Frescoes

The Amalfi Cathedral of St. Andrew

The relics of St. Andrew

The Amalfi Coast

Holy Ground - Assisi

This is really an incredible place. It is difficult to describe how the spirit of prayer and peace pervades this town. St. Francis is one of the patron saints of Italy and when I was going through the Vatican Museums I noticed that images of him showed up in Italian art early. This isn't surprising when you consider that he was canonized almost immediately. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside the churches but the frescoes of Giotto are breathtaking.

more shots from Italy

Michelangelo's tomb for Pope Julius II with his famous statue of Moses - really impressive but Julius II sort of made Luther inevitable.

Home from Italy

The only thing that could have me up at 7:00 am on a Saturday morning is jetlag. I got back Wednesday evening from two weeks in Italy, mostly Rome but also three days on the Amalfi coast and a day in Assisi. It was an incredible trip - lots of time spent in prayer and wonder at being in places where Christians have been praying for two thousand years. More thoughts to come but here are some pics.