New York has the Statue of Liberty; Paris, the Eiffel Tower; and Rome…il Colosseo. The Colosseum is a massive amphitheater that could seat up to 75,000 people. On the sunny day that I visited it, it felt like there were 74,999 other people with me:

Rome was packed. And at this wildly popular tourist attraction, it took the patience of Job to finally get a few shots without tons of strangers around every corner…

I love this shot of the Colosseum…

and this view of one of the many tree-lined hills through one of its perfectly framed windows:

This place has been home to gladiators, slaves, and emperors:

It has survived earthquakes and stone robbers. It has even morphed into a Christian shrine along the way.

Much has happened here since the Roman engineers first broke ground in 72AD. Just like much has happened to me between the time I first set foot on its grounds in 2002…

and a few days ago ten years later: