Reymon de Real PhotographyLUNA GIBBOSA CRESCENTE DAL COLOSSEO
The title of this post is a literal translation of the phrase “Waxing gibbous moon by the Colosseum” to Italian. I thought the translation sounded sexier than the original English text. LOL! When I took these photographs my intention was to capture the Roman Colosseum in multiple angles until I noticed the moon in one of the arches so I started including it in my compositions. It would have been nicer had it been a full moon but a waxing gibbous moon was just as good, it being the phase prior to a full moon. Thankfully, the sky was still bright enough for me to capture the details on the moon’s surface. Had I taken these an hour later the moon would have been just a pale yellow ball in the sky.
If you visited Rome between 2011 and early 2016, you would have seen the ongoing restoration work on the Colosseum, which was mostly covered in scaffolding. The shoe-and-luxury goods maker Tod’s donated millions for the restoration of this architectural wonder so lucky me to have visited it just as the project culminated. Anyway, it’s good to see the Colosseum in a cleaner state and am glad to know that more restoration work are being done to this day. Maybe the next time I’m in Rome I’ll get to see the additional renovations and when I take new photographs a full moon will be high up in the sky to photobomb this magnificent piece of architecture.
Reymon de Real Photography 
“Of the beauty of a walk through Rome by moonlight it is impossible to form a conception, without having witnessed it. All single objects are swallowed up by the great masses of light and shade, and nothing but grand and general outlines present themselves to the eye. For three several days we have enjoyed to the full the brightest and most glorious of nights. Peculiarly beautiful, at such a time, is the Coliseum. At night it is always closed. A hermit dwells in a little shrine within its range, and beggars of all kinds nestle beneath its crumbling arches: the latter had lit a fire on the arena, and a gentle wind bore down the smoke to the ground, so that the lower portion of the ruins was quite hid by it; while above, the vast walls stood out in deeper darkness before the eye. As we stopped at the gate to contemplate the scene through the iron gratings, the moon shone brightly in the heavens above. Presently the smoke found its way up the sides, and through every chink and opening, while the moon lit it up like a cloud. The sight was exceedingly glorious. In such a light one ought also to see the Pantheon, the Capitol, the Portico of St. Peter’s, and the grand streets and squares. And thus sun and moon, as well as the human mind, have here to do a work quite different from what they produce elsewhere,—here where vast and yet elegant masses present themselves to their rays.” (Goethe 1786)
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Bravo! 👏🏻💕
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Thank you!
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Wow that’s fabulous.
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Thank you!
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Beautiful pictures.
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Thank you!
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Absolutely gorgeous! Funny how sometimes our best shots sort of happen by accident! The colosseum looks awesome, and the moon color is just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the story, too!
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Thank you! Reason why I don’t easily delete my photos…sometimes I go back to them a few months or years later and realize it’s actually a nice shot. LOL!
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Your pictures are wonderful. I love the moon in the arches. Thanks for stopping by my post today as well. The last time I saw the Colosseum it did not look nearly so beautiful. Nice share. 🙂
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Thank you for dropping by as well. The cleanup made a huge difference on the appearance of the Colosseum. I guess it’s time to plan another trip to Rome…maybe after this pandemic is over. Stay safe.
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We’re ready!
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Breathtaking!
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Thank you!
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