August is an odd month in Rome. The place winds down and empties, as the Romans, whetted by weekends by the sea, take off in their multitudes for summer houses by the coast or in the cooler mountains. The tourists have the benefit of less traffic and fewer lines, but the downside is many closed trattorias and bars, and a sense that the essence of Rome has disappeared with the Romans. It is all too quiet. Two millennia ago, it was presumably just the same, an exodus by those who could afford it, given the archaeological evidence of splendid villas - near Tivoli and Sperlonga, for example - where emperors and their guests whiled away sultry deep summer days.

One other thing I have noticed, personally, is an increase in tourist crime. Yesterday I met a young British couple on the Tiber riverboat who had lost £600 and their passports just minutes after arriving at Termini on the Ciampino airport bus (and it was his 21st birthday). They were not alone. In this city of few Romans, tourists stand out even more than ever to the thieves operating around the station and the landmarks. Was it ever thus in the festival days at the Forum, where rich senators would also stand out in line with their exotically-dressed entourage?

Meanwhile, tourists chancing free rides on Rome's trams and buses (one euro a time) are easy pickings for ticket inspectors imposing a hefty 100 euro fine...

On a jollier note, those who did not made it to the sea in July and early August have been catered for by the fake beach set up alongside the Tiber near the Isola Tiberina. Swimming pools, oversize pot plants, beach umbrellas and sand have conjured up the shade of an Italian resort, together with bars and pizzeria. Like the similar beaches in Paris and other cities, the detritus left as archaeological evidence would be fascinating to contemplate.