Roma Eterna.

If the last post is all about numbers, it's shot reflects some of the great influences in my life........

Rome, the Eternal City and it's Roseto, the Rose Sanctuary tended by 15 great gardeners. One day in January last year, I had the honour of being invited to an every day (but very splendid) lunch in their bothy, with a roaring log fire, lots of pasta, red wine, Panettone and laughter. When I joined them again in May, leaving for a moment my co-judges of the competition, the Father Christmas tablecloth was still onboard. On the following day I had lunch with another very dear friend, Francesco Ernani, Sovrintendente of the Rome Opera, in a smart restaurant near the theatre and the Archeological Museum, to which he escorted me afterwards. I had never seen Livia's Summer Palace.....and it is there, her Summer dining room beautifully displayed, with no windows or doors (it was too hot). The room is lit by an occulus...a circular hole in the roof, as is the Pantheon, and the walls of her dining room are painted with birds and trees......a miracle, and two thousand years old.

Francesco Ernani runs four busy theatres in Rome, for both opera and ballet. He is President of all of all of the opera houses in the world. How fortunate I felt, to count all of these wonderful friends of mine.

Here is the  Circo Massimo in the background where the chariot races were once held. It now rattles with traffic, and to the right the immense Baths of Caracalla where all of Roman life, sport, learning and healthcare as well as many deals and decisions all took place in an entirely egalitarian society. It is now the spectacular setting for Opera and Ballet in Summer.

This shot was taken by Julia Owen, a very great friend.