Italy

June 18-24

I was in Italy for a week, with Marc Levoy and Jen Trimble to meet with the archaeologists who are in charge of the Forma Urbis fragments. In our spare time we did some sightseeing in Rome, Florence and Naples.

Rome

	A street in Rome.
	The day before we arrived in Rome was the decisive soccer match of the Cup of Italy, where team Roma beat team Lazzio, winning the championship. The entire city has gone completely insane, and people were celebrating for the entire week. As part of the celebration, the fans draped Roma's orange and red banners over many buildings and statues.
	Saint Peter's Basilica at night.
	The following day we climbed to the dome of St. Peter's. This is the view from the top, looking at the plaza in front.
	This is Hadrian's tomb, across the Tiber from St. Peter's. It was also used as a fortress by the Popes during the times of unrest. It has never been captured.
	A special covered passage leads from Vatican straight to the fortress. This way the Popes could flee the Vatican without even going onto the streets.
	Of course, we had to see the Colliseum.
	This is a picture of a room in one of the buildings in the Roman Forum. I took it because I found it cool that the tiles look pretty much like modern bathroom tiles.

Florence

	The Cathedral, or Duomo, of Florence. Over six centuries passed from the beginning of its construction in the 13th century to adding final touches to the facade in the 19th. The famous huge dome, shown on the right, was designed by Brunelleschi in the 15th century.
	Over lunch Marc explained the design of the dome. The paper covering the table served as a notepad.

	Of course, we climbed to the top of the dome. The climb is 463 steps through a rather narrow passage. This is the final section of the climb, between the inner and outer walls of the dome.
	The view of Florence from the top of the Duomo.
	This is the famous bridge over the Arno River. The Stanford graphics lab was located on the south (left) bank, not far from here.

Naples

	Naples is built right at the foot of Vesuvius (the mountain on the right). That does not seem like such a great idea...
	The streets in the old city are a little shabby.
	The buildings are painted in much bolder colors than in Rome or Florence.
	A cafe near the Archaeological museum.

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