The Doge's hat

Marble sculpture of a Doge's hat. Museo degli Affreschi

Cotto tiles

Cotto and marble tiles form this beautiful floor in the courtyard of an ancient and noble palace.

Workers on the Arena

This afternoon I spotted these guys mounting scaffoldings to the outer circle of the Arena.
There was a lovely sunset light and my first thought went to the roman builders of this magnificent amphitheatre. About two thousand years ago, probably with no safety devices, working hardly to put stones over stones, to create a stunning structure that would last for ever...

Over the last few years the Arena has been cleaned thoroughly. This is the last bit that is going to be restored. The marble stones, now bearing a grey-sh shadow due to pollution and natural mold (I guess what the darker bits could be), will be brought back to their original white-pinkish shade.