About

“For lovers of old stones like us, the wilderness that is left after the fall of ancient cities – which is not like any other kind of wilderness – this place could hardly be better.” Barry Unsworth      

I live a long way (the west coast of Canada) from any place the Romans left their footprints – crumbling temples, shards of pottery, hoards of coins and silver, towering aqueducts, intact glass vessels, imposing fortress walls and iconic amphitheatres – just to name a few. Nevertheless, I’m a lover of old stones and this website, Roman Footprints, chronicles my travels in search of these vestiges of ancient Romans.

In my early 20s, I loaded up a big backpack and traveled around Europe for five months. It was an education and it kindled my love of history. However, upon my return to Vancouver Island I got on with my life.

But the seed had been planted – I wanted to study ancient classical history. Twenty years after my first European trek, I finished my BA in Greek and Roman Studies. Three years after that I returned to Europe where I visited Hadrian’s Wall in Britain and the Pont du Gard in France, and for the last fifteen years I’ve made many trips to Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands, always seeking out Roman footprints along the way.

Veni, Vidi, Scribi – I came, I saw, I wrote (and I took a lot of photos).