Ancient Rome & Our Farewell Evening

It was our last day in Rome, & in Italy, today.  But after so many great sights we still had a top highlight to see this morning - Ancient Rome & specifically the Colosseum.
Our fantastic guide again today was Stuart Harvey.  After meeting us out side the Colosseum Stuart helped us negotiate the lines & security checks seamlessly, to enjoy the fantastic views both inside & outside the Colosseum...

Once we'd had time for photos Stuart told us more about the actually events that really took place here - dispelling many myths & 'Hollywood legends' but also revealing that a surprising number of tales many of us had heard were actually true.
The intricacies of the construction, all aimed at putting on a superb showing for the Roman public, were explained, making the sight become much more than an empty ruin.

After leaving the Colosseum we strolled the short distance across to the site of the former Roman four, the very heart of the Roman Empire.

Once again Stuart regaled us with colorful stories & fascinating facts, reminding us of long-forgotten history classes & amusing us with tidbits of information about the Romans, some of which relate to today (The word Senator comes from the same root as senile!).

We finished our morning walking tour by Trajan's Column, & across the road from the huge monument to modern Italy's first king.
This afternoon was free once again for independent exploring.  Now familiar with the city everyone took off - some to visit museums or churches, others to shop, & some no doubt just for a leisurely lunch.

We regrouped this evening for an early dinner, our farewell group meal.
Though we were dining early we enjoyed an atmospheric feast of seemingly unlimited courses & copious amounts of food, all the while entertained by the resident guitarist.

After dinner we strolled the short distance to our second concert, a recital of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  The string musicians in the group seemed to unanimously agree that the performance was really excellent, & in the setting of an historic church just yards from the Spanish Steps it was a fitting end to a wonderful week+ in Italy.

We rode the Rome metro back to our hotel...

And there was even time for the youngest members of our party to release their musical talent a the hotel piano!