Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson

Unfortunately, you could not take photos inside.  My first question, having grown up in upstate New York, where there is a Monticello , pronounced with an "s"sound, was how was it pronounced.  It is in the Italian fashion, with the "ch", as it was initially fashioned by Jefferson after Roman architecture.  It was said it also made  reference to  America and the Roman empire.

I never realized what a Renaissance man he was.  A self taught architect, he designed not only the house, but many of the furnishings and even a beautiful coffee urn, which he had crafted in metal.  The dome was the first ever built on a private residence, and constructed by his free and slave carpenters.  The underground of the house was well planned, with all the necessary workings hidden from sight.   It was fascinating  to hear about the man, and the home, and to learn that he actually died on July 4, 50 years after the Declaration of Independence, for which he wrote the draft, was signed.