One of the most recognizable structures in the world is the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum in Rome.  I caught this photo in a rush as the sun was setting.  I was somewhere in the Forum looking east and I knew that if I didn’t get a shot right then, I would never have the chance.  The sun was setting, and I only had a tiny point-and-shoot camera on me.  In 2005, digital cameras just weren’t as good in lower light situations as they are today!

I had walked more than sixteen miles that day, along the Appian way and into the forum, but it was late when we got there and everything at the ground level was in shadow.  I got a fairly nice picture of the remaining three columns of the temple of Vespasian and Titus, the father and son duo who erected the Colosseum.   Even though it was late November and my breath was fogging the camera, I was pleased to have gotten at least a few images in the fading light.

Though the main Forum itself is free, surrounding monuments require admission.  Like the Palatine Hill, an assortment of smaller excavations, and the Colosseum.