Here's the third installment of photos from my recent trip to Italy. This time, I'm featuring photos of the River Tiber, St. Peter's, and the Altar of the Fatherland. Enjoy!

The Vatican and River Tiber at TwilightTwilight on Saint Peter's Basilica, the Ponte Sant'Angelo, and the River Tiber in Rome, Italy.

Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte Sant'AngeloThe Castle of the Holy Angel and the Ponte Sant'Angelo over the River Tiber at night in Rome, Italy.

St. Peter's SquareView of St. Peter's Square from atop the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

The Altar of the FatherlandThe Altar of the Fatherland in Rome, Italy.

Dawn at the Altar of the FatherlandThe Altar of the Fatherland in Rome, Italy, at early dawn.

Just west of the Colosseum in Rome is the Forum, a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings. The ruins are impressive and I wanted to get a shot of the Forum at sunrise. I decided to get up early and shoot the Forum from Capitoline Hill. I started shooting at dawn (before sunrise) and I was able to capture some great color in the sky. However I discovered, the hard way, the precise time the lights turn off at the Forum, viz. 5:50 AM, which is exactly as I was taking my first photo. Fortunately, my very first attempt was a success.

Forum DawnDawn at the Forum in Rome, Italy.

I was in Rome in March, during the off season. Besides small crowds, there was one really nice advantage: I was there for the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is when the plane of the Earth's equator passes through the center of the Sun, which occurs twice each year, once in the fall and once in the spring. The significance for most people is that during the equinox, day and night are approximately the same duration. For a photographer, the significance is that the sun rises and sets almost directly east to west. The Forum stretches east to west, with Capitoline Hill at the western edge and the Colosseum at the eastern edge. I was therefore able to capture the following sunrise: 

Forum SunriseSunrise at the Forum in Rome, Italy.

When I went to Rome the first time, the first place I wanted to visit was the Colosseum. It's an impressive sight. Since I'm starting a series of blog posts about my recent trip to Italy, I think that it's appropriate that I start it off with my photos of the Colosseum. Here are my five favorites. Leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite!

Colosseum Blue HourBlue hour, early in the morning at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

Colosseum Cloudy DawnA cloudy dawn at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

Colosseum Morning CloudsEarly in the morning with heavy clouds over the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Colosseum InteriorThe Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Colosseum Colorful SkiesColorful skies over the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.