In 2008 I travelled from Melbourne to Rome via Seoul in Korea. In Rome I stayed with a friend on the Via Cassia. I visited Bracciano to the north with its medieval castle and spectacular lake; Tuscania with Etruscan and Medieval tombs and monuments; Santa Maria di Galeria hidden and abandoned on a hilltop, surrounded by cliffs and trees, yet within sight of Rome; Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman seaside town, long abandoned and no longer near the sea; and of course, Rome itself.