Robert Sakula recently spent a short sabbatical in Rome, researching the architecture of the city, his first return visit there for more than thirty years. Highlights included the early Christian churches of S.Clemente and S.Praxedes, the gardens of the Villa Guilia and Villa d’Este, frescoes by Raphael, Pozzo and Carracci, the discovery of previously unknown baroque architect, Antonio Gheradi, and much more besides. Also memorable were the landscapes of Rome, the magnificent umbrella pines, and the bucolic scenery of the Via Appia.