Rome 2008

Neither of us had been to Rome before so this was a special trip. Most of the places shown below are well known enough not to need captions but we have added a few. We found the Vatican Museum badly organised - vast crowds processing along endless galleries and corridors whether they liked it or not, which did strike us as rather appropriate for the organisation concerned. The Villa Borghese was more like a little paradise with its parkland pine trees and mesmeric art gallery in the actual Villa. A contrasting place was the Villa Adriani at Tivoli, a vast set of remains of the Roman Emperor Hadrian's palace covering hundreds of acres and in its time served by a vast army of slaves, bureaucrats and soldiers. Neither Villa was crowded so there was much more chance to enjoy the sites. But we start with the Colosseum, even more impressive in reality than in those school pictures ... then the remains of the Roman Forum within an area operated as an open air museum.

If armies march on their stomachs then costumed re-enactors must have their fill of Roman pizza.

Below: Trajan's Column; the Arch of Constantine; 'SPQR' - For the Senate and People of Rome'; Colosseum visitors; a street within the Roman Forum.

A street performer - a 'living statue' - in the square of the Trevi Fountain.

Visiting the Vatican took a whole day. St Peter's is huge, the forecourt sloping down in front of it making the whole place even more spectacular with an area big enough for vast open air gatherings. We weren't keen on the overbearing scale of it all. Overpowering, overdone, more materialistic than spiritual.

The basilica and two of the many monuments, surrounded by tourists, some in groups following their guides holding up flags on sticks.

The Vatican Museum, which is one of the world's greatest collections by far, was incredibly crowded - as people had told us it would be.

Scenes at the Villa Adriani. Getting there was a small adventure - finding the train (poor station information), then working out where to catch a bus to the place from Tivoli; a walk interrupted by pizza and beer got us there. On the return two sets of dodgy information from well-meaning members the public delayed us a bit, but all was well. Lond day but a great place and by no means overcrowded so it was a real treat.