Augustus said "I found Rome built of bricks; I leave her clothed in marble". Well, last weekend I found Rome clothed in rain... OK, so that's not entirely true - there were a few minutes of wonderful sunshine during which the city came alive - but it was pretty wet. 

I met two very special friends while I was out there - Daniela Nobili and Gianni Galassi - who gave of their time so freely, allowing trips to parts of the city that otherwise just wouldn't have been possible. Out to the east to see Richard Maier's fabulous Jubilee Church, then south east to the Italian rationalist architecture of the EUR district and north to see Zaha Hadid's MAXXI and Renzo Piano's Parco della Musica. It would have included the Foro Italico complex too except it was shut in preparation for the Coppa Italia final. 

I may post some images from those trips another day but for now here are a few of the old, crumbling walls near to where I was staying in Trastevere.

If you have a spare moment then please, please take a look at Daniela's wonderful book that goes by the fabulous title of I Love HUE - it's packed with gorgeous images.

These pictures were taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 with a 12-40 f2.8 lens.