If I was blown away by Pompeii, I should have been annihilated by Rome's incredible ruins. And I was - as you can probably tell from the preponderance of photos here and the various links on the pop-up versions. The only difference was that for me, Pompeii was a total surprise, Rome a little less so. Having said that, ancient Rome is totally mind-boggling.

Mind you, "modern" Rome's pretty interesting too. On my last day in Rome, I discovered - no surprise - that it's quite easy to "shop 'til you drop" in that city, and even easier to shop 'til the money's all gone! (Just try a stroll along Via Condotti if you're in doubt!)

Once "spent" in that regard, it was time to recoup in a sidewalk cafe. But with the Spanish Steps beckoning, it wasn't long before we found ourselves trekking faithfully to the top, and from there enjoying the short walk to the Borghese Gardens, which offered some welcome tranquility.

But all good things come to an end, and this vacation was no exception. So after a stroll through the Piazza Popolo, it was back to the hotel to get packed for our departure the next morning. Fortunately, it wasn't all sadness: we still had one more dinner in Italy to look forward to - and fabulous it was!

Arrivederci Roma, arrivederci Italia, finché incontriamo ancora! (Well, I tried!!)