I really need to start writing my travel posts within the week I get back as I find myself backtracking through my iPhone camera roll to remind me what I got up to. But thankfully I saved my Snapchat stories so now I remember exactly what happened… Here goes…
So after a solid eight-hour Prosecco induced sleep, we were up and ready to explore Rome. We took our hop on/off bus and decided we had to discover the area around Vatican City. It was such a beautiful sunny day, making such a difference to my mood and my photos. As much as I say I prefer winter, nothing beats the feel of the sun on your skin and your surroundings being lit up with blue skies.
After getting off the bus and grabbing a latte macchiato (I could seriously drink these 24/7), we walked down to St. Peter’s Basilica and were absolutely amazed by the architecture. The only negative about this was the constant hounding of tour operators asking us if we wanted tickets get into any of the buildings. Sometimes a simple ‘no’ wouldn’t suffice and they’d follow us for a few steps. This is exactly like walking through Leicester Square at 10pm on a Saturday…
‘Wanna come to XYZ club?’
NO.
‘Comedy show?’
NO.
‘Ladies only. Just £10,000 entry and free drinks’
NO.
There is nothing more I hate than being hassled on the street. But I totally get why you get it in touristy places, but no means no. How can I trust you to deliver what you promise without seeing anything tangible? On top of that, the queues were absolutely insane as you can probably see from my photos below.
Anyway…
St. Peter’s Basilica and the area around it was absolutely stunning. The work and history behind this basilica is breathtaking. I wish we had more time to explore it but a flight to Rome is only two hours away so I will definitely be back.
After this, we headed to Sephora to stock up on a few beauty bits… I highly recommend the Too Faced Size Queen mascara (the wand resembles a toilet brush). We also admired the gorgeous dresses in the Pronovias window display, I actually think I found my Oscars dress (Yes, I am deluded and yes it is black) and Emma found her wedding dresses – because you definitely need more than one.
We then headed for a spot of brunch near Termini station at a placed called Cucina Nazionale and guess what… we had another bottle of prosecco. The food was amazing, somewhat affordable and the waiters were really attentive.
Where was the fountain?
After this, we were on a quest to find the Fountain de Trevi, which was on my Rome wish list of things to do. Unbeknownst to us, we had walked in a massive circle and it really wasn’t far at all from Termini station. I’d say 30 to 40 minutes if you’re walking. It was absolutely stunning; very crowded, but understandable as to why. I even had to grab some gelato to admire it some more. Cue the typical Instagram traveller photos…
We headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit… and remembered there was a hot tub, so took advantage of this with a glass of prosecco and no phones. It was just so nice to literally chill out for an hour without the distractions of social media and WhatsApp. This is something I really need to implement in 2016, not living through my phone and remembering life can be lived without the need to update anyone that you did something. This might be a reason I love flying so much, I can literally shut off for hours and not feel the need to text because my sole focus is engrossed in a movie, book or good old shut-eye.
Hot Tub Time Machine?
After our little hot tub excursion, it was time to get ready for our dinner reservation at 9pm. I searched for hours on TripAdvisor to find something within our budget, a little quirky and somewhere not too touristy. I came across Sa Tanca Crostaceria and fell in love with the exposed brickwork and large wine selection (The irony being that we had yet another bottle of Prosecco). Our cab driver even mentioned it was somewhere the locals go, so I knew I had made a good choice! But being who I am as a person, I didn’t realise that this restaurant was completely seafood until our waiter mentioned they specialise in crustaceans. I could have just translated the name…
*Cue the Under the Sea music now*
I could say I’m quite a fussy eater but I’ve been trying to explore new things so I what better way to do this than having a night with no meat. Although we weren’t sure on what we were going to order, we eventually decided on the nine-course tasting menu as it’d give us a taste of what Sa Tanca Crostaceria had to offer…
The food was absolutely amazing – fresh, tasty and flavourful. I’m not sure how I feel about the oysters though but the tuna was to die for and I’m so glad I tried it. I literally have always been anti-tuna my whole life as I hate the smell and can’t be sure if it’s dolphin-friendly.
Seriously. how gorgeous is this city at night?
I think I’m gonna end my Rome adventures here as there is not much else to tell as we flew back the next evening.
It was such a beautiful trip with a lovely mix of exploring, food and just seeing what The Eternal City had to offer. I definitely think Rome is somewhere you could come alone, with friends, family or as a couple – there really is something for everyone.
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