Opposite the Tuscan Colonnades and across Piazza San Pietro (Saint Peter's Square) are massive archways leading into the neighborhoods surrounding Vatican City. After weathering bustling Piazza San Pietro, this neighborhood was tranquil and sleepy, a welcome sanctuary for this weary trekker.

I wandered from café to cabaret, abating my time with a bottle of wine and spotted this curious water basin on the sidewalk. Ancient and sun baked, it regurgitated fresh water from its bowels for parched souls. I saw similar basins throughout Rome and they once played an essential role: providing aqua for the poor and those without indoor plumbing. I observed a few Romans drinking from the basin, so its usefulness has never ceased.

Save for the tight jeans and herds of motorcycles, scooters and wee cars, things here haven't changed much for millennia. There is little in the stucco villas, sidewalk cafes and cobblestone alleys to distinguish the 17th century from the 21th. And that's why my lens keeps coming back.

EOS 40D and EF-s 17-55 2.8 IS USM