The square in Positano

There was a little square in Positano called Piazza Dei Mulini. The piazza was different than all of the other squares that I have seen in Italy. There were ceramic pottery shops and clothing boutiques lining both sides of the premises. The square had a hilly street coming off of it that appeared to be a tunnel because of all the purple flowers that were covering the distance between the walls of the alley.

Along the way there were tables set up against the wall filled with beaded jewelry and paintings for sale. The small road led you down to another piazza where there were artists painting scenic pictures in pastels or watercolors. There were lithographs available for a reasonable price, but I really wanted to buy an original copy even though they started at 100 euro a piece for the smallest size. The piazza overlooks a beach with vacationers laying under the sun or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. There was another small street that stemmed in the opposite direction that led you to the Positano Bell Tower. Since it only takes ten minutes to walk the entire length of the town, the loud chime of the bells can be heard every morning from any location.

While we were in Positano there was a big annual festival that was going on. It was a celebration of San Vito, the protector of the small southern town. There were different performances throughout the day. There were young men dressed in skirts dancing with large red and white flags to entertain the guests at the piazza. At one point during the day there was also a band that marched through the town playing trumpets and clarinets.

If you were to walk up the steps to the right of the piazza there was a port that had ferries available to take tourists to the island of Capri and the Amalfi Coast. There were even private boats that offered excursion tours through the grottos of Capri. My parents and I walked around piazza all day browsing around the different shops and sitting by the dock watching the boats drive by filled with passengers. The town closes its hotels in the winter because not many tourists usually come to visit, but the stores and restaurants in the piazza normally stay open for local residents of towns close by.

Campo de Fiori

Near the Piazza Navona is the busy piazza of Campo de’ Fiori. It has always been known as a busy commercial area that is lined with stores, restaurants, and vendors for passer-byers on their way to Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and the Vatican. During its earliest years, the square was used for public executions. None more notable than Giordano Bruno who was immortalized into a statue in the piazza after he was burned by the Roman Inquisition after his ideas became dangerous. His statue by Ettore Ferrari describes Bruno as standing defiance against the Vatican. Another site in Campo de’ Fiori is the ancient fountain la Terrina or “the soup bowl” that is now used to keep flowers fresh. Inscribed on the fountain is “Fa del ben e lassa dire” which translates to “do well and let them talk,” an appropriate saying for the piazza. Currently, the square is filled with fresh foods, fruits, and flowers during the day. While at night Campo is where young people come out to meet and entertainment that is known as the nicest in the city.


“Campo De Fiori.” Campo de Fiori Guide. 2008. Rome Loft.com. 6/10/2008.


“Campo de’ Fiori.” Piazzas of Rome. April 27, 2008. Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 6/10/2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_di_Fiori

San Marco's Square in Venice

The first thing that we did after getting to the famous Saint Marc’s square in Venice was get something to eat. We walked down the tiny alleyways filled with designer shops. The road that couldn’t have been more than ten feet wide consisted of high-end stores like Versace, Gucci, Georgio Armani and Prada. Knowing that there was no way I could spend a lot of money, I passed the stores just staring in the windows at the fashionable clothes.

After lunch we purchased admission passes to the bell tower in San Marco square. When the doors from the elevator opened I walked to the edge of the confined area to get a good look at the view below. I stuck my camera through the square holes that have been formed by the cage of barbed wire that covered the window to insure that no one would tumble out of the tower. The whole city of Venice could be seen from the high rise. In the distance were the small the islands of Murano and Burano. The terra-cotta rooftop shingles looked as if they could go on for miles. Just as we were about to return to the bottom of the tower the gigantic bells began to swing back and forth piercing my ears with their loud chiming sounds.

The never ending Doge museum in the square was filled with large rooms for used for political debate and chambers fro prisoners. I walked up the Golden Staircase which had been elaborately decorated by Alessandro Vittorio. The Staircase led to the rooms of Doge’s apartment and others for governmental speeches. I found it sort of strange that at one time there were prisoners staying in the same building as the leader of the city. The chambers were empty concrete rooms with heavy wooden doors that would impossible to escape from. I finally saw the daylight again after spending nearly three hours in the museum.

My parents and I walked around the corner to San Marco’s Basilica. Inside the church were five large domes and chairs that replaced the usual pews. The inside of the church was definitely not as impressive compared to the beautiful frescoes on the domes of the outside.

Piazza della Rotunda

The first sound I heard as I entered Piazza Della Rotunda today was of metal magnet clinging together as men threw them in the air. In front of the Pantheon stood men who were dressed in red, and gold gladiator costumes hold swords. There were horse and buggies lined up along the front side of the historic landmark. People kept going up to the fountain to take scenic pictures. Some would nap under the marble edges of the fountain where there was about 3 feet of shade to keep them cool from the blistering hot day. There were African men standing at all sides of the fountain. Each one of the salesmen had at least 10 fake purses placed on the dirty, black street of the piazza. Their merchandise consisted of black, white and brown Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Prada bags in all different shapes and sizes. When they thought that they had seen a police man they quickly gathered the purses from the ground and scattered. The little cafes surrounding the piazza smelled of delicious and expensive food. There were younger men handed out flyers to promote local clubs and bars. No matter what time of the day the square was crowded with tourists and locals hanging out and socializing.

Piazza della Signora

As anyone from Florence can tell you, the political hub of the city is the Piazza della Signoria as well as the central meeting place for all who enter Florence. The piazza is located directly in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, a gothic fortress like town hall that is one of the most impressive in Tuscany. I was lucky enough to see this square on Sunday night and see everything that the square has to offer before our dinner reservations.

The piazza stood as a gathering place as important officials made grand speeches on the steps of the Palazzo. Surrounding the Piazza are the Loggia della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia, the Uguccioni Palace, and the Assicurazioni Generali.

The Loggia della Signoria is a building with wide-open arches that was primarily used for housing assemblies of people and hold public ceremonies. The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most famous and oldest art museums in the world housing such famous works as the Birth of Venus by Botticelli.

The Piazza contains some very remarkable statues. There is a copy of the Statue of David by Michelangelo, the Fountain of Neptune, and Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli. These notable statues make the Piazza della Signoria a site to visit for any traveler of the capital of Tuscany and I made sure to snap a couple of pictures of them on my way out of the piazza.

“Piazza della Signoria.” Buildings and Structures in Florence. June 2008. Wikipedia Encylcopedia. 6/10/08. <>

Famous fountains in Piazza Navona

The Romans always favored symmetry as one can notice as they travel the streets into and out of piazzas and churches. It can also be realized by noticing the two fountains located at the southern and northern end of the Piazza Navona, the Fontana di Nettuno and Fontana del Moro. Both fountains were created by Giacomo della Porto in 1575 and 76.

The Fontana del Moro is constructed of antique marble and represents an Ethiopian fighting with a dolphin. More than 75 years later Bernini made an addition of a triton as the central figure. Opposite of the Fontana del Moro there resides Giacomo's other work, the Fontant de Nettuno or the Fountain of the Boilermakers. It resembles Neptune god of the sea fighting with an octopus, a symmetrical theme from the fountain on the opposite side of the piazza.

"Neptune Fountain." Piazza Navona. 2004. Rome Viva. 5/28/08.

Sant'Agnese Church in Piazza Navona

One of the most famous sites located at Piazza Navona is the Sant'Agnese in Agone church. The 17th century structure was designed and constructed by Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi under the request of Pope Innocent X. Adjacent to the church is the palace of Pamphilj, the pope's family, almost as a private chapel. The outside of the church is a wide façade that represents Baroque architecture. It has a large dome and two symmetrical towers on each side. The church represents a Greek cross structure common to Roman churches. Inside the church contains many marble structures where in the main altar there contains a marble relief portraying the Miracle of Sant'Agnese. The dome sits atop eight pillars Corinthian columns that gives the church an octagonal resemblance. Also inside the crypt of Pope Innocence X rests with his funerary monument above the entrance that makes one of the first objects viewers see. The inside of Sant'Agnese in Agone additionally offers frescoes of Gaulli, Ciro Ferri and Sebastiano Corbellini in the cupola. The legend of the church states that St Agnes as a teenager refused to renounce Christ in 304 AD and in turn was cast naked and decapitated in the stadium of Domitian. Beneath the church her body remains where she was martyred.

Sant' Agnese in Agone." Churches of Rome Wiki. February 27, 2007. Wikia. 5/27/08. < http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/Sant'Agnese_in_Agone>

The History of Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the most popular attractions among tourists and residents of Rome. The rectangular shape of the area obtained its shape from the route of the Roman stadium built by Emperor Domitian. In the square they held sports competitions much like those in the Greek Olympic Games. The piazza was not used for gladiator fights like the Coliseum. During the Renaissance the area was altered back to the way it was originally before Emperor Constant II abandoned the beautiful atmosphere. The fountain of Rivers located in the center of the square was a masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini that had been arranged by Pope Innocent X in 1651. The Danube, Ganges, Nile, Rio de la Plata are recognized as the four longest rivers in the world and represent their continents. The Fontana di Nettuno stands at the northern end of the piazza where there are sculptures of Neptune and the Nereids. At the opposite end is presented with the Fontana Del Moro, where Moor is seen fighting a dolphin.There are a number of churches surrounding the Piazza including the Church of Santa Maria dell'Anima, the Church of Santa Maria della Pace, the Palace of Sapienza, the church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, and the Church of St.Luis of the French. Each church houses art from some of the most notable artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael.

Hutchesson, Ian. "Piazza Navona." 1. 25 May 2008 .

Lunch In Piazza Navona

Today Brooke and I walked to Piazza Navona to eat a nice relaxing lunch and enjoy the daily entertainment that was happening during the day. While we were walking we were distracted by all of the shops and beautiful buildings and must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We eventually found our way back to the pantheon and followed the streets signs which led us to the notorious square. When we finally arrived there we circled the area trying to find a nice place to eat. We chose a tiny café called Ai Tre Tartufi that was dressed in flowered gold and blue tablecloths and parallel to the Fiumi fountain located in the center of the piazza. I really hope that the fountain in the center is finished being restored before the time we leave so that I will be able to see it without walls surrounding it and filled with flowing water While we were eating our delicious meals an accordion player stopped in front of our table to place us some music. When he was done playing, he reached out a little yellow sack so I picked up my purse and trying to gather any loose change I could find for him to show our appreciation for his wonderfully unique talent. I was surprised when the waiter had asked us to pay right after we had gotten our food, but thought it could have been the end of his work shift and he wanted to have the money before he left. We saw a large circle of people surrounding a man dressed in a pink, black and white stripped tuxedo doing magic tricks. He picked three men from the audience to help him perform a particular trick. It was getting late so we decided to back to the apartment, stopping to admire the painted mimes as we walked.

Piazza Navona*

Nothing compares to the enternaintment and beauty of the square located in the center of Rome known as Piazza Navona. The piazza is filled with people roaming about watching its theatrical acts and taking pictures by the three extravagant fountains. Some of the piazza's detailed statues were built and restored by Rome's most notorious artists such as Giacomo Della Porta and Gion Lorenze Bernini and date back to the 15th century. Of the three fountains the most spectacular is La Fontana Dei Fiumi with its lifelike poses and representation of ancient Rome. No matter what season it is, the square attracks thousands of people a day to its shops and cafes. Musicians playing various instruments like the banjo and accordion provide hours of amusement for onlookers. Artists offer to paint pastel or black and white portraits for a fair price. The outdoor cafes attract people with their sweet smells and picturesque look. The Piazza will remain a main attraction for many years to come.