The weather today was absolutely scorching – mid to high 30’s, therefore we thought it wise to jump onto an open top bus and nab the seats with the shade above our heads. This was fine but there was a “technical hitch” with the commentary so we didn’t quite get all the information we wanted.

However as the bus approached the Vatican it was clear that there was some kind of service being conducted by the Pope…

Later on in the bus tour we hit total gridlock so decided to jump off and walk. The reason why initially I was surprised at how light the traffic was when we arrived v todays traffic, is simply that there is some kind of congestion charge being operated.

Yesterday there was a strike by the Unions over the Italian Governments austerity package to try and balance off their 1.7 trillion euros (or whatever it is) debt. This being the case we couldn’t get into the Colosseum, but today when we arrived the queues looked huge. Now those that know me also know that me and queue’s don’t exactly go hand in hand.

However this looked worse than it turned out to be. The reason for most of the queue is that people arrive at the payment booth to rent an audio guide, only to be told that they must leave either their passport or a credit card !!!!! Yeah and everyone is keen to do this – NOT. This causes untold angst and confusion, and also the delays.

If ever you go simply buy a ticket that includes an actual human guide as this is only a couple of euros more, but they don’t tell you this when trying to hire the audio guide. Both of which are booked at the same window!! So people leave the queue until they find this out, then rejoin to book the human guide………staggering in this day and age.

Anyhow our guide was really good albeit there is a limit to what they can impart in 1.5 hrs tour. I really enjoyed our time spent with the tour and then our own time exploring the rest of the arena. In this shot you can see the structure/chambers that were under the actual floor, and part of the reconstructed floor at the far end.

This photo shows the activity that would have been taking place down there during the games. I couldn’t help think of all the anxiety and fear that would have ran through those who were to meet their end on the arena floor.

The rest of the day was spent walking and exploring and I’m sure my legs were three inches shorter when we got back to the hotel.