Visitors walk through Palace Square under the Alexander Column of the Winter Palace. (Dmitry Lovetsky / AP)
A statue of the Roman god Neptune looks across the Neva River from atop the Hermitage. (Dmitry Lovetsky / AP)
A view of the Samson Fountain found at the terminus of the Sea Channel at Peterhof, Russia. Peterhof is a series of gardens and palaces that served as a summer residence for Russian Czars. (Beverly Beyette / LAT)
