Hubby and I were up and out early the next morning to make our way to the Ancient City of Rome.  First stop …. the Colosseum.   But first to marvel at the Forum of Caesar en route and alongside Via dei Fori Imperiali which leads to the Colosseum ..

Julius Caesar built the first Imperial Fora  to relieve congestion in the Roman Forum when Rome’s population boomed.   “Pride of place went to a temple dedicated in 46 BC to Venus Genetrix (Venus the Ancestor – goddess of motherhood and domesticity)as Caesar claimed to be descended from the goddess.  The temple contained statues of Caesar and Cleopatra as well as of Venus, but all that remains today is a platform and three Corinthian columns.  The Forum was once enclosed by a double colonnade, under which was sheltered a row of shops.  However, this burned down in AD 80 and was rebuilt by Domitian and…