My phone had long stopped working, so I had no way of knowing what the time was when I got up. I had arranged to meet John, Chris and Sunil at the Coliseum at noon, so I had plenty of time. Ten days before, I had left them in a concentration camp north of Berlin, and since then they had visited Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Hamburg.I caught the bus and metro, and arrived at ten. Looked round for something to do, and spotted a ‘time elevator’ – a simulator ride thingy classified as ‘edutainment’ all about the history of Rome. Decided to give it a go. Very Disney, but it was quite well put together. It even included a light rain shower when the character on screen ran through a storm. The basic premise is that an Italian scientist invents time travel and goes back to important events in the history of Rome, including the founding by Romulus and Remus, the rise and fall of the Roman empire, history of gladiatorial fighting, the renaissance, and modern day Rome. Apparently there is one of these in London too.

I went back the Coliseum metro station and found John wandering around, closely followed by Sunil and Chris. We spent the rest of the day on a guided tour of the Coliseum, and an exploration of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

The Coliseum is the most impressive building I’d seen on this trip. I was surprised that it looked so good from the outside – from one side it almost looks complete. But when you think of it covered in marble, with 50,000 cheering fans, it’s an absolutely astonishing achievement, and the current structure is a pale shadow of its former self. Inside the decay and destruction is more obvious. The steps of the seating areas are no longer distinct, and the wooden area floor has long rotted away. A small section of plaster decoration in an inaccessible corner of one archway gives a tiny glimmer of the venue’s former grandness.

The Roman forum was the centre of Roman administration. Now little more than a series of archaeological remains snaking though central Rome, these structures used to house debates of the Senate.

It took us a while to find Palatine Hill, but it was worth the visit – the relics were better preserved – particularly a huge hall that might have been a debating chamber or for some other ceremonial purpose.

At the end of the day we returned to the hotel where John & Co. were staying, the ‘Hotel Montreal’. Dinner was at a street restaurant near a laundry where the three of them wanted to get their clothes washed while we ate. Food was excellent.

I bought a newspaper to read on the way back to the hostel. There was much news about the anniversary of 11th September 2001, which was the following day. I had no problems with the curfew this time, getting back at around 10:45, though I sat on the steps of the hostel reading and talking with other guests until curfew.