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Rome, Italy
And their empire crumbled till all that was left were the stones the workmen found
Empires rise, empires fall, empires leave really cool ruins. This is a lone, untouched surviving column at the Roman Forum.
Recusing itself from my "arguably the greatest dome in all of Christendom" contest, the dome of the Pantheon, originally a Roman temple, wears its 2,000 years quite well.
More powerful than you think it should be, the echoes of time in the blood stained Coliseum overpower even the most annoying German tour group.
Palatine Hill is home to the ruins of the homes of the Emperors, as seen through the Coliseum.
The Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica, open only for a limited time as part of the Jubilee Year celebrations. When one passes through this door (as did I), one is forgiven of all sins (as was I). Woo-hoo! Take that, all my sins!
The chaos of the Jubilee Year under what is arguably the third greatest dome in all of Christendom; Saint Peter’s Basilica is home to Popes, pilgrims, even more German tour groups and, directly under the altar, what ever is left of Saint Peter himself.
A detail of the mosaics high above the altar. If you look at the first picture, this was taken in the area below the high dome windows but above the high dome lettering. There are no painted walls inside San Pietro, everything looks (upon closer inspection) like this.
From high atop Michelangelo's dome, looking into the private Vatican Gardens.
