Monday 8th October
There were huge queues at the Colosseum so we walked past it to the Circus Maximus which was ancient Rome's largest chariot race track, a 250 thousand seater capable of holding a quarter of the city's population. This is only a small segment of the original stadium which has recently opened after 6 years of restoration.

The main part of the stadium  had been used at the previous weekend for a Roman version of the Yorkshire show.

We walked along the bank of the Tiber to Ponte Sublicio which was a peaceful contrast to the earlier crowds.

The next bridge we reached was Ponte Palatino where we had a good view of Isola Tiberina. This is one of the world's smallest inhabited islands and has a hospital on it today.

We explored some of the smart cafes and shops on Via del Corso, then stopped at Galleria Sciarra with its lovely Art Nouveau painted walls and glass roof

Nearby is the Trevi Fountain which is enormous in quite a small square and the crowds here were overwhelming.

More interesting streets led us to the Spanish Steps which was in large square and was not too crowded.

We were able to relax by the fountain in the shade.

Refreshed by delicious gelatos, we returned to the Colosseum in the late afternoon. It was not too crowded and the sun gave fantastic shadows, adding to the drama of this awesome building.



Sunday 7th October
Not far from the hotel was the Vespa museum which reminded me of the scooter I had before our first car.

The main road was closed to traffic and full of cyclists, runners and musicians. We stopped at some seating overlooking some ruins to relax, listen and people watch.

We crossed the Piazza Venezia in front of the huge imposing monument to Victor Emmanuel II who in 1861 became the first King of a united Italy since the 6th century.

We then entered a maze of old streets in the Medieval part of the city.

We arrived at Gesu Church just a the service was ending.

This church is famous for its ceiling fresco by Il Baciccia and we thought it absolutely beautiful.

 

We then walked along Via Torre Argentina to the Pantheon where there were huge queues to get in. This was built by Emperor Hadrian between AD 118 and AD 125.

The original Temple was built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC and on the outside you can clearly see the changes that have been made over the years.

It is so huge inside that the queues moved quickly and we were able to enter and marvel at the rich interior and the geometric dome which is the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built.

Nearby in the Piazza della Minerva is the Elefantino carrying a 6th century Egyptian obelisk. It was designed by the famous artist Bernini and completed in 1667.

Just behind the elephant is The Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva which boasts a beautiful lapis lazuli ceiling and was built on the site of 3 pagan temples

Nearby is  the Church of St. Ignatious Loyola built in 1626 which has a superb fresco ceiling as well as highly decorated columns and arches.





We returned by way of the cobbled Via del Governo Vecchio.



Saturday 6th October
We travelled through many tunnels and changes in countryside on our 3 hour train ride from Pisa to Rome. Low clouds made the hills look as though they were steaming. After unpacking we walked down the hill from our hotel to the Colosseum. There were big queues at 4pm but we were able to walk around the outside.

As we were leaving heavy rain poured down and brought the umbrella sellers out.

When it was dark we found a good view point from which to see the Colosseum lit up.





Friday 5th October
We enjoyed the flight from Leeds Bradford to Pisa, arriving at dusk. We strolled through the town and found a lovely restaurant and it was warm enough for an alfresco dinner. When we reached the leaning tower there were only a few people there and you could hear insects all around. The tower and church looked stunning against the dark velvet blue of the night sky.



Thursday 27th September
Harlow Carr was full of autumn produce and colours this afternoon.

Sunday 23rd September
Golden Acre Park was so busy this afternoon that we had trouble finding a place to park. The berries, pumpkins & flowers were full of colour.

Saturday 22nd September

The autumn flowers at Newby Hall featured on Gardeners' World last night so we went to see them for ourselves today. They lived up to their billing. The autumn scents as well as the colours and atmosphere were lovely.
The entrance courtyard was full of lorries relating to the filming of the latest instalment of 'Victoria'. Several of the huge trees on either side of the drive were surrounded by dozens of pheasants which we presume were feeding on the falling seeds.