This was a special evening of celebration in Rome. Notte Bianca - white night. There would be special events, concerts, and happenings all over Rome. Places that normally shut down early would be open all night

Here is an evening crowd, walking past the Colosseum, in the background on the right. It's probably around midnight, with things just getting started. The Hobbitt and I had visited an old church and gone up the Via Sacra, a winding road behind the Colosseum. Now we were looking for a snack, and following the sound of music to some impromptu concerts down one of the side streets.

About two in the morning, we wound up in the Termini, the giant railroad station, where a DJ had taken over the interior and thousands were dancing. The Hobbitt and I joined in.

Eventually, we started looking for a way back to our hotel, which was about a mile and a half north of the Vatican. We took the subway to the station by the Vatican, figuring that we would walk the rest of the way. The first train we took broke down, but there was another right after it.

We left the train at Vatican City and by now it was raining. Fortunately, I had an umbrella with me. It was now about 3:30 in the morning.

As the Hobbitt and I huddled under the umbrella looking around for a bus, every light in the area went out. We looked around and there were no lights as far as we could see. A major blackout had thrown the switch on all of Italy. But having survived a blackout in New York City just a few months earlier, we were prepared for this sort of thing. I took out the little flashlight I carry with me and we slowly worked our way back to the hotel.

The electricity finally came on about noon the next day. I wonder what would have happened if the Hobbitt and I had delayed just a little longer before starting back.