A touch of Sweetness

Monday, October 29, 2007

15-10-2007

today we are going to Pisa to admire the Cathedral, Baptistery and the world-renowned Leaning Tower at Campo Dei Mirocoli, Field of Miracle.

The Tower of Pisa was a work of art, performed in three stages over a period of about 177 years. Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile began on August 9, 1173, a period of military success and prosperity. This first floor is surrounded by pillars with classical capitals, leaning against blind arches.

There has been controversy about the real identity of the architect of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano [3], a well-known 12th-Century resident artist of Pisa, famous for his bronze casting, particularly in the Pisa Duomo. Bonanno Pisano left Pisa in 1185 for Monreale, Sicily, only to come back and die in his home town. His sarcophagus was discovered at the foot of the tower in 1820. However recent studies seems to indicate Diotisalvi as the original architect, by construction affinities with his other works, like the Baptistery in Pisa.

The tower began to sink after construction progressed to the third floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil. This means the design was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century, because the Pisans were almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Lucca and Florence. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. In 1198, clocks were temporarily installed on the third floor of the unfinished construction.

this is one of the oldest street...

-when are you coming back? ;

Friday, October 26, 2007

haha... hello everyone i am back from my 2 weeks holiday...haha let me show u some of the photo tat i have took during the trip....

14-10-2007

after having a 12 and a half hour of fight i finally reach rome. hohohoho...
this is our first stop in rome... which is the vatican state and visit the st peter's basilica, the most famous church in the Christian world.

this is the door tat only open every 25 years...

this shows how big is the church...

Few people are unmoved by Michelangelo's Pieta, and many consider it one of the greatest religious works of art. Whatever your faith, the beauty and serenity of this mother who has lost her child invokes a spiritual response.

The overwhelming popularity of the Pieta actually prevents it from being a better place to pray. It always seems crowded in front of the Pieta Chapel. The glass in front of the statue also serves to separate you, and it catches the flash of constant cameras.

Though it may not be one of the best places to pray, the sculpture is one of the best invitations to prayer.

After being declared Blessed, the body of Pope John XXII (d. 1963) was brought up from the grottoes and placed under the St Jerome Altar, which has become a popular devotion site ever since.

He called Vatican Council II (1962–1965), but did not live to see its completion. In Italy he is known as "Il Papa Buono" ("The Good Pope").

Whether out of curiosity or true devotion, there always seems to be people before the body of John XXIII. Kneeling in the pews and viewing the body of this pope, prayer seems to be the natural response.

The Colosseum - the greatest amphitheatre of the antiquity - was built in Rome, Italy, about 1920 years ago. It is considered an architectural and engineering wonder, and remains as a standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.
After the splendour of imperial times, the Colosseum was abandoned, and in turn it became a fortress for the medieval clans of the city, a source of building materials, a picturesque scenery for painters, a place of Christian worship. Today it is a challenge for the archaeologists and a scenario for events and shows.

can u see me in tat photo...

after a long walk in the morning, finally we could seat down and have our lunch...haha...everyone was so tried...

after our lunch we are going to visit the Spanish steps to shop at Prada, Max Mara, Ferragamo and Gianni Versace along Via condotti, one of Rome's most elegant shopping streets...