This past weekend we went to Rome….. This normally means the 4 of us, it has been that way for the passed 6 years. I normally get very anxious when leaving the children, and thought they were too young for me to leave the country previously. However at 10 and 6 they are not such a handful for my family to look after anymore. So Hubby and I decided that we should celebrate part of my 40th birthday by spending it in my favourite European City.

I fell in love with Italy when I was in my early twenties, the amazing history, the delicious food, the wonderful art you can see in every step you take. It really is one of my favourite places to be.

It’s really hard to choose a hotel, when staying in a foreign city, I much prefer a boutique style hotel to the larger ones. Its also difficult to know exactly which part of the city would be best, and after about an hour searching we came across the lovely Hotel 47

The lovely building is situated near the greener area of the city near the ‘Palatino’ a short walk from the river , a 30 minute walk from the Colloseum (which hubby was so excited to visit). Its slightly outside the busier areas, so it was nice to be able to enjoy a little green and peace, inside a very busy city.

The deluxe room with a balcony, was such a lovely choice. It was comfortable with modern furnishings, however the view was just amazing. Drinking your first coffee of the morning with such a gorgeous view was one of the highlights of my trip.

Breakfast is served in a lovely quaint little courtyard in the centre of the building filled with beautiful citrus trees. Italian cured meats, a variety of Italian cheeses, a selection of pastries and breads, cereal and fruit are all available. We certainly stuffed our tummies before we went out sight seeing on the first day.

I’m quite sure giants lived in Rome in ancient times, the buildings and trees are so enormous. You certainly cant begin to fathom how humans could have made them all those years ago. Walking around Rome is like visiting a museum, within a city. Everywhere you turn, there are buildings and ruins that are jaw dropping, many of which are 2000 years old.

Our first stop was the Colosseum  – I bought a Roma Pass from the airport, which is a 48 hour pass, that allows you access to a museum  and public transport and 30% discount to other attractions. We skipped the queue at the Colosseum without needing to book, which was a major benefit, as we spent time looking around rather than standing in a line. As I imagined it was a amazing.

The Roma Pass also comes with a map, so we decided to stroll around the rest of the day stopping for lunches and coffees along the way.

Meals in Rome were delicious. Italian food is my favourite cuisine, and the home made pasta, the gelato, the cheeses and cured meats left me feeling very full for most of the time that we were there.

On our second day, we were very lucky to be given a tour by ‘More of Rome’  We met Dimitri and Manuella – a lovely husband and wife team in the famous Piazza Navona.

They gave us an hour tour starting at the Piazza , going through to the Pantheon, passed the Palazzo Chigi, through to the famous Trevi Fountain, finishing off at the Presidents Headquarters Quirinale which has a lovely birds eye view of the city. They were such a lovely couple, and it was so nice to be in the company of people that really live in the city. It was a much nicer experience to hear about the history of the things we were passing rather than just walking passed admiring it at face value.

They had great knowledge of every area, and were very accommodating and patient with me while I clicked away. Here are a few of the shots I took while on the tour. I really recommend this experience. It definitely saved a lot of time and effort with a map and we got to enjoy the sights far more.

 

After all that site seeing, it was lovely to come back to the hotel where we had a lovely meal on the rooftop restaurant and enjoy the peaceful views.

We loved Rome, and I had such a memorable time. It was so lovely to be just a couple again, in such a beautiful city. It was a wonderful start to my fabulous 40 celebrations, and I thank Hotel 47 & More of Rome for collaborating with me for this blog post.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my time here,

Lots of love

Tia x