Light, Sky, and Color

Almost immediately upon arrival in Rome, I was struck by the intense and pure quality of the light. As Rome is essentially the beginning of the south, it shares a part of the glorious sky for which the Mezzogiorno is so famous. In none of the cities of northern Italy that I visited did I see a sky with the same persistently rich and saturated hue. Not only was the Roman sky itself attractive, but it brought out to full effect the wondrously deep hues of the city as well - cerulean blues, luscious ochres, warm salmons, vibrant yellows, living greens.

Here is a collection of pictures from my time in Rome, in which the sky and light are as much the subject as the sites.

This was the view from my hotel room, near the Spanish Steps, in the northwest of the city.

A procession of trees in the Pincio Gardens. The gardens run along a ridge and provide spectacular views over the city.

In front of a church in the Campo Marzio - I believe the church is St. Rocco. My real interest, however, was in the cheerful pink building in the background. In the foreground, under the statue, is a typical Italian hard at work.

Delightful ochre. I believe this building is somewhere near the Pantheon.

An illuminated statue on the Ponte Sant'Angelo, opposite the papal redoubt, the Castello Sant'Angelo. To the northeast, a few straggling clouds were massing themselves, something they did not often do - and they could never make more than a minor dent on the otherwise undiluted purity of the sky.

The angel from which the Castello Sant'Angelo gets its name. The shaft of light was unintentional, but I think it nicely echoes the diagonal of the angel's sword.

The papal apartments in the Vatican. Note the tart lemon color of the wall in the foreground. Many of the buildings in Rome are somewhat dilapidated, but this only adds to the city's charm, oddly enough - like an old grande dame whose face is lined but who can still look resplendent in her finery.

Roses and a well in the gardens of the Villa Borghese. I took a delightful morning stroll here. The Villa Borghese is directly behind the Pincio, but does not provide the same vantage point for views over the city. For morning strolls, take in the Villa Borghese; at dusk, the Pincio.

The grande dame's faded beauty on the Palatine Hill.

One of my favorite pictures - the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. It took me a while to take this picture. I love its pure elementalism: porous rock, cool marble, azure sky.

Two pictures taken on the Via dei Fori Imperiali at dusk.

The campanile of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, near the Circus Maximus - catching the light of the late afternoon.