When In Rome.

Here are a few photos from my time in Rome:

The Italian flag, on top of the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, in the Piazza Venezia (The Venetian Square).

Roman centurion taking a modern break, on the Spanish Steps.

The Roman Forum. Ruins of Ancient Rome.   

Tiny little butterfly. 

The sloping side of the Mt. Vesuvius. This is the most dangerous volcano in Europe and the 5th most dangerous volcano in the world! Although still active and well overdue for an eruption a whopping 3 million people live in the red zone. When it erupted in 79AD, burying the City of Pompeii and its inhabitants, it released 100x the amount of energy released by the Hiroshima bombing. You can actually see and walk around the ancient ruins of Pompeii, which are beautiful even if a little terrifying. In the bottom left-hand corner you can see the outline of a person - I left this in to show the sheer enormity of the volcano. Which although well overdue for eruption is still 

View of St Peter's at sunset from a courtyard inside the Vatican Museums.We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the Vatican at night, under the stars, and to sit in the open air listening to a beautiful musical performance. You can see on the photograph that there are railings around the top (Cupola) of St Peter's Dome, you have to get an elevator to the top and then walk 320 steps up a narrow staircase - but the views make it all worthwhile - with a vista over the entire of Vatican city and the River Tiber.

Just one of the many, many scooters/Vespas/Lambretta/Harleys you will find in Rome, it's the easiest way of getting around the tiny, cobbled streets of the city - but it makes the pedestrian's job of dodging traffic even harder!