So i’m in Rome!
After a beautiful flight inbound over the picturesque vineyards on the outskirts of Italy and the surrounding islands we safely landed at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. After a few minor hiccups at the airport we began our journey to our accommodation, for the duration of our stay; Hotel Bell’Ambriana. I had created an itinerary prior my trip which included a visit to the Trevi Fountain and The Spanish Steps upon our day arrival. Once we had checked in and got acquainted with our hotel we embarked on our journey to the iconic Trevi Fountain, considering that I had wanted wanted to visit the fountain from a young age I was considerably excited to go.
Breathtaking. The first word that came to mind when I laid my eyes on the fountain. Giant white marble structures, much larger than I had anticipated, were paraded all around with the crystal clear waters dancing proudly in the sun light. The bottom of the fountain was decorated with dark circular specks, coins of hopeful people from all around the world who had came here to make a wish. We collected what coins we had, each made our wish and tossed them over our shoulders in to the water. We spent the best part of an hour taking the compulsory touristy photos and soaking up the simple fact that we were here, we were in Rome.
The weather was good, almost too good considering that i’m from London, and being prepared for rain and overcast weather is second nature to me. On our first day here the weather peaked to 24 degrees, although it felt like 30 with the absence of the occasional welcomed breeze, leaving noticeable red marks on my shoulders and nose. And while most British people would run to a beer garden and whip out a strawberry and lime Kopperberg at the first sign of good weather, I made it my personal mission, whilst here in Italy, to try some authentic Italian ice cream. I wasn’t short of options as we made our journey from the Trevi Fountain towards the infamous Spanish steps. Parades of shops in every direction, the occasional scent of coffee and cinnamon between the bustling crowds of tourists only added to my excitement.
We stopped for lunch on the way, only having some Macdonalds. I try Macdonalds in every country I visit just to see the difference and the main thing I noticed about Italian Macdonalds was beer was a causal part of the menu, you’d never see that in the uk! We also visited several souvenir shops and treated ourselves to the typical holiday tac and continued our journey.
It was only a short walk to our next destination but one I rather enjoyed. We had arrived at The Spanish Steps it was decorated with vibrant purple flowers and crowds of admiring people trying to capture the perfect shot. As I made my ascent to the top of the steps my attention was drawn to the street artists at the bottom, each painting and sketching away almost completely unaware to the world around them. Just as beautiful as the fountain The Spanish Steps are a must for anyone visiting Rome.
My mission of trying some ice cream continued and as we made our way back towards the fountain I spotted the perfect little shop. Pistachio and Nutella, the strangest but most heavenly combination in the world, I tell ya it was one of the best ice creams i’ve ever had. It was melting fast due to the weather but I was sure to devour it in almost no time at all.
I believe it’s important, when travelling, to have the knowledge and sense of safety and Rome wasn’t subject to that. Although a reputation of pick pocketing being rife in the capital was prominently made aware to us I felt more comfortable using public transport and roaming the streets here than I did in my hometown of london.
A productive day it had been, exhausted after a day of flying and roaming the city we slowly made our way back to the hotel as an even more productive day lie ahead tomorrow….
-Paris Bowers