Pictures of Rome
Pictures of Rome in October 2019.
Capital of an Empire
Today, Rome is an economically oriented and liberal European city, much like Paris, Madrid, or Prague. It offers its residents and visitors all the advantages of metropoles, like vibrant nightlife or shopping streets. Beneath this Rome, though, lies another city, an ancient behemoth and important cradle of Western civilization – the capital of a forgone Empire that spanned almost the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean, at the same time being an antipode to the similarly developed Chinese Empire in the far east. Ancient Rome was a metropole of grandiosity with prominent temples and treasures beyond imagination, where gladiators fought in large stadiums to entertain the masses and the corrupt political elite discussed the faith of the continent in glamorous bath houses or while watching chariot races in the Circus Maximus. A city with paved streets in grid-like arrangements, multi-storied residential buildings, working sewerages, and roofed shopping centers. Maybe not so different from the year 2020, after all.
Travelling Rome
Having been in Rome many times before, the Italian capital is one of these European cities you come back to again and again. Sure, it is the history of this ancient place which can be vividly experienced at every corner and on every street; it is also the Italian culture with its exquisite cuisine, the delicious wine, and the so-called dolce vita – the sweet life, which the Romans like to celebrate today as much as they used to in ancient times. There is a certain feeling of surprise and novelty when traveling to Rome, although you think you know the city. It is impossible to “know” this place, as there are always new streets, sculptures, and churches to discover. Also, Rome is an ever-changing metropolis of new bars, restaurants, and cultural venues.
The Thermaic Gulf
Thessaloniki is in the Gulf of Therma, part of the larger Aegean Sea. Sometimes, it is also called the Gulf of Salonika or Macedonian Gulf. It is a busy body of water with many transiting container ships. Some impressions from November 2019.
Sunny Days on the Lofoten
Shot on the Lofoten Islands in Norway in 2019.
Streets of Salonique
The city of Salonique in Northern Greece is the ancient capital of Macedonia, best known for Alexander the Great. For many centuries, it was a melting point for different religions and ethnicities. Turks, Jews, and Greeks lived together in relative harmony. Today Salonique is part of Greece and a modern city with a vivid nightlife and busy streets. Some impressions from October 2019.
Michael Hoffman Photography 