Photos!

After a reboot and some messing around, I managed to get access to my photos. So here are some new ones...

The Milano Duomo in 11,000 wooden pieces... I discovered this in an old abandoned school building outside of Asti. We weren't supposed to be there actually, but while trying to climb over the wall a friendly local walked past and directed us to the actual gate, which was open...

And here's the real thing:

This is the building that contains Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Last Supper fresco. Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside, but I can assure you it was breathtaking.

Then on to Lago di Como (Lake Como), the second largest of the northern lakes of Italy. Here's a group of us on a ferry. From left to right: Chantelle (Auckland), Judy (Perth), P, random, Sarah (Canberra), Mike (Perth), Clinton (Melbourne). Lots of Aussies on our trips :)

Cool huh? This was my favourite day in Italy.

Looking down on Bellagio:

You can just make out a little church halfway up that mountainous rock. Unfortunately time did not permit a climb up there.

Many ferries service numerous towns around the lake.

This is the town of Varenna. There's a small castle on the nearest hill, which we walked up to.

The view from the castle grounds. That boat is right in my cannon sights...

A bit random to find a lawn with tethered birds of prey sitting around.

This one is called Linda.

And this one is called... uh oh... where'd she go?

I really liked this view.

Approaching the castle tower.

Surveying the lands from the castle tower.

Good lake views too.

Prepare to repel marauding invaders!

To arms!

The castle is in very good condition.

A view down the lakeside to another town.


And here we have a happy traveler on her way to Venezia.

Some typical Venice sights.

One of our traveling companions, Chantelle, just moments before she got into serious trouble from the angry shop owner behind her...

P, Clinton and Sarah on one of the 409 bridges around Venezia.

The main canal during rush hour.

Guess how much this coat costs... a clue - it's made from chinchilla fur.

No, sorry, you're wrong.

Look closely at the top item for the answer. These prices are in euros.

Yeah. That's right. Twenty eight thousand euros. Internet access around Venezia wasn't much cheaper.

We took a ferry to the island of Murano, famous for it's glass production. This guy on the left is playing a strange Venezian musical instrument made from molten glass.

Looking out to the south of Venezia.

San Marco - the heart of Venezia.

The local fire brigade on their way to the local pub, I suspect.


A friendly Venetian near the laundromat.

Then we left our tour group in Venezia and spent P's birthday in Ravenna.

Here's the ceiling of our hotel room! Best hotel room ever! :)

Not so many tourists in Ravenna...

One of the many piazzi (squares) around the town.

This is a mosaic. It's not a fresco. Each element is a tiny coloured piece of stone. Amazing eh?

Ravenna is full of mosaics. They date from the Byzatine era, about 5th Century AD.

More mosaics inside a mausoleum:

Outside that mausoleum:

Aaaaaaah!!! Extreme Closeup!!!

This garment is part of a priest's outfit. This particular item is over 600 years old. It's falling apart but the detail that remains is astonishing. In it's time, it would have been a beautiful cloak.

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the snaps.