I spent most of today wandering around Roman ruins and a museum with a group of children from my daughter’s school. I saw some wonderful mosaics, coffins complete with skeletons, and dozens of finely made Roman artifacts.
So, for my Wednesday Wander this week, I thought I’d take a trip back to where it all began. Where an empire was formed that reached east and west, controlling territory as far away as this misty small island (and possibly further still, if the stories about South American shipwrecks are true).
This, my friends, is ancient Rome.
Well, it’s what’s left of it, anyway. I took these shots from a viewing platform overlooking all that is left of that mighty city – the ground level is far lower than that of modern Rome, which is why I appear to be so high above the ruins. I quite like how all the fallen columns seem to have been gathered and placed tidily together – I don’t know whether they’ve been reinstated in the intervening years, but it did seem to me as though work was ongoing at the time.
Another thing that struck me, as I looked at these photos, is how much digital photography, particularly on our phones, has changed the way we record things. I took these photos with a regular old film camera, back in the days when you had to drop the film off and wait to see if any of the shots were good. Film wasn’t cheap and I was travelling on a budget, hence why I have only three shots of the city, rather than the eight thousand or so I’d probably take today.
I remember Rome as a city of contrasts – full of great beauty and history, yet crowded and dirty. I also visited ancient catacombs along the Appian Way – went underground and saw ancient tombs and painted shrines, roped off areas leading who knows where. I have no photographs of this at all.
I think I might need to go back to Rome…
Thanks for joining me on another Wednesday Wander – see you next time!
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Helen Glynn Jones 
It reminds me of our trip to the ancient Roman ruins of Ephesus. Such grandeur! 🙂
Oh, I’ve heard Ephesus is quite something to see – lucky you! 🙂 It’s amazing, isn’t it, how well they lived – I would love to go back and see a Roman city in its heyday.
Me too… I’ll let you know when I’ve finished building my time machine. 😀
I’d love to go there some day.
It’s an interesting place, that’s for sure. Your Craig Boyack bust figurine would not look out of place there 🙂
Ha ha, perhaps it needs a laurel.
Oh, definitely! Perhaps a special one, for Christmas?
Sounds great.
I’d love to visit there one day too. You always have such interesting destinations.
Thanks, Allie 🙂 Actually, the more I do of these Wanders, the more I realise how many places I still have to visit. Still, I’ve been pretty lucky so far 🙂
As others have said, I’d love to go there. It’s been on my list for a long time. Also agree with the observation of how digital has changed our way of recording our experiences.
Thanks, Sarah. I’d like to go back and take another look around – I was only there for a few days, one of which coincided with the Pope canonising four new saints, so it was quite mad. Lots I saw, but lots I didn’t see. Plus I need to take another eleventy hundred photos, of course!
I want to go to Rome 😭 lol. Great pictures.
Thanks, Anthony 🙂 I hope you get to go there one day.
Lovely city but like you Helen I remember it as a place of contrasts, ancient, historical, beautiful but also loud, chaotic and dirty. I still loved it though.
Yes, I loved it too – I really need to go back for another visit one day 🙂
Me too!
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