Italy: Milan, Florence & Rome

This April I was able to visit Rome with my good friend Joe from Hillsdale College. Italy is an amazingly beautiful place and has countless ways to entertain a history nerd like me.

The Italian flag in the Galleria

Vittorio Emanuel II in Milan

Sitting on top of the cathedral in Milan

Here is the cathedral in Milan. We spent some time walking on its roof. I was very happy to be there just as the bells of the cathedral and city rang for mid-day.

A view of the architecture at the roof of Milan's cathedral... the spires and buttresses were very beautiful and ornate.

Dante in his home town of Florence...

The AMAZING Sana Maria Fiora in Florence. I've never seen such a colorful building!

Restoration work on the dome of Santa Maria Fiora

A view of Florence from the dome of Santa Maria Fiora

Florence in the distance... This was taken from a monastery outside of the city

The ruins of the old Roman forum

The Colosseum! It was one of my life's goals to see and touch this building!

Inside the Colosseum

St Peter's in Vatican City-- the world's largest Christian basilica and seat of the Catholic church!

Inside St Peter's

A close-up of the ceiling in the Vatican library. This was one of the rooms we could photograph in the Vatican Museums. I did see some people try to sneak photos of the Sistine Chapel, though... Philistines!

Vatican City and the colonnade from the dome of St Peter's