The botanical gardens in Rome were something amazing. What was more amazing is that we had the place to ourselves. Where was everyone? Out shopping? In the line of thousands to see the Vatican? Perhaps. We'll keep to the garden.
Entrez-vous.
Behold the world of f r a c t a l s ! 
As we all should know*, nothing says buzz off like barbs.
If you can get past the spikes, a cactus makes a pretty decent shelter--at least for those who travel in shells.
Let's move on to the ruins, shall we?
Ostia Antica is the ancient port city of Rome, located at the mouth of the Tiber.
Though no longer a functioning city, these archaeological ruins are peopled by a prominent colony of cats who day and night roam the narrows passageways, hidey-holes, stairways, and the gift shop/café area. They basically own the place.
These ruins are immense and tell a fascinating story of Roman history and culture. Rather than tell that story, I'll share these photographs.
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| Quick, silent scream! |
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| There are several mosaics like this throughout the city, most of which were damaged by (ancient) foot traffic. Each tells a story. |
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| Passageways to nowhere |
Consider yourself lucky if you're a statue in this city who still has it head. Most of the statues here were either beheaded (as spoils of battle, I suppose) or lost their heads and limbs through the centuries.
No head.
Head (though noseless),
No head.
Some statues are even stuck in headless face-offs. But at least their hearts remain intact.
That concludes our adventures in Italy. Thanks for reading. Until the next!
