Colosseum, Rome

A fairly conventional view from the Roman Forum of the spectacular Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, with the predictable queues waiting to access the monument. As a symbol of the power of the Roman Empire it is unrivalled, though ironically it was in fact designed to exert control over the people (through bread and circuses) rather than to celebrate greatness. It was completed in AD 80 and could accommodate up to 80,000 spectators. Despite the decline of the Roman Empire it was used for cruel sport and spectacle until the sixth century, after which despoliation for building materials, earthquakes and neglect led to its becoming the ghostly ruin so much admired by romantic visitors on the Grand Tour.