Burano would have to be my favorite part of the trip. The vibrancy of the houses all around the island make it a photographers paradise. When we arrived the sun was beginning to set and the lighting was perfect to catch the vibrant reflections of the houses in the water.It was like being in paradise. I would go back in a heartbeat.

The Galleria Borghese had 3 of Bernini's famous statues carved from marble, David(who I previously wrote about), Apollo and Daphne, and the Rape of Proserpina. Of these three my favorite would have to be Apollo and Daphne. The statue of Apollo and Daphne can be viewed from so many different angles and you can interpret the statue in a different way at each angle. The main angle that spoke to me was where Daphne was in front of Apollo and the majority of the sculpture was taking up the whole composition.

The negative space between Daphne'a arms and legs give the piece added dimension, and you have a great view of Daphne's transition into a tree. The detail Bernini created with the bark on the tree and the leaves coming out of her fingers took so much time and the piece has so many complex textures. It is a fantastic view in itself.

The lines created between the two people in the Rape of Proserpina are very dynamic. I do not understand the placement of the two headed dog around the back of the statue, other than to give the statue a third leg. This was my least favorite of the three, although it is still amazing in its own right.

To recap what I previously wrote about Bernini's David, Te carving is done exceptionally well, in such an exceptional way, giving the statue movement in the arms and shape of the body.  The expression on his face shows determination, and every detail down to the veins in the legs are all well thought out.

Photos can never do justice to works of art. Bernini's David is a fantastic example. Both marble statues of David are perfectly executed, and they both have an impact when you see them in person.

Bernini carved David(1623-1624) in such an exceptional way, that the statue has movement in the arms and shape of the body, and feels as if it is going to propel the stone from the slingshot in his hand.  The expression on his face shows determination and the way the body is constructed gives it movement. The life size characteristics of Bernini's David make it realistic, and the other objects placed in the sculpture stay true to the bible verse where David slays Goliath.

Michelangelo's David(1501-1504) on the other hand is a massive feat in itself. The sheer size of David is what was most unexpected, and when you turn the corner at the Accademia, you suddenly realize how large the sculpture is and how long it took to create. The beauty of Michelangelo's sculpture is is the proportions.  The statue was to originally be viewed from below, which Michelangelo took into account by making the head and upper part of the sculpture larger than the rest of the lower body. Michelangelo's David is considered to be a symbol of strength, as well as an image of youthful human beauty, making it one of the most recognized works of renaissance sculpture. The statue of David is said to be in the state between conscious thought and conscious action, as he has already made the decision to fight Goliath, and is before the battle has taken place. 

Of the two my favorite would have to be Michelangelo's David, the sheer size just blew me away, as well as the proportions.  The fac

We made it to Venice!

Our hotel room!

View from our room

Yummy pizza for dinner!

Venice at night

My sketch of Michaelangelo's David in the Academia

View of the Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi gallery.

My goodies from zecchis the art store in Florence.

Lasagna and moscato for dinner

Playing around at dinner.

The river at sunset.

I met up with one of my friends who is studying abroad in Florence!

Strolling in Florence at night.

On the train!

Doing some sketching on the train to Florence.

The Duomo!

The baptistery.

The duomo dome

In the hotel before dinner!

The Ponte Vecchio bridge

The first place we went was the Vatican.

St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel (although we couldn't take pictures)

Fountain outside of the Borghese gallery (where unfortunately we couldn't take photos either)

Spanish Steps

Sketching at the Trevi Fountain

The coliseum is just enormous. Standing next to something of that size is awe inspiring. I feel like I will be saying that alot this trip!

The Roman forum was a bit of a trek, and we weren't able to walk through due to construction, but we still had beautiful views walking around it.

This photo from the Pantheon is my absolute favorite photo so far from this trip. I love the fact that is is a 180 degree photo, and shows the occulus at the same time as the floor. The fact that so many of these buildings were made thousands of years ago is astounding.

I love the back lighting in this photo at the piazza Navona and Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers)

Yummy pizza! My first meal in Italy!

The coliseum!

Me and Erin at the coliseum!

The pantheon!

Piazza Navona and the fountain of the four rivers

Me, Erin, Adrian and Christine in piazza Navona