Photo 1: On a recent visit to Rome, I spent an afternoon visiting the Swiss Guard. Here we are at the entrance to Bernini's covered corridor which leads directly to the Scala Regia. Photo 2: I was greeted by a Guard stationed at the Portone di Bronzo (Bronze Doors), a monumental threshold which serves as the primary formal entrance to the Apostolic Palace. Photo 3: Standing side by side with our Middle-Earth inspired tattoos: his is of Glamdring, mine is of the Fellowship (a very different fellowship!) Photo: A moment of reflection in the Vatican Gardens. Photos by Frederic Aranda