Travel Diary: Rome, Italy

Our trip to Rome was short, but as most people who have been to Rome will tell you, it’s easy to pack A LOT in. 

We landed to a scorching 35 degrees, took a brief walk, bought two litres of Italian wine for €3.60 (we were admittedly a little too excited about this) and spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool. 

The next day we made our way into the city and had our first of many impressive meals. Food was one of my main incentives for going to Rome, so I wanted to make sure we knew precisely where to find authentic Italian food. Osteria da Fortunata is a little restaurant a few meters away from Campo di Fiori. If you’re looking for an authentic pasta experience, then this is it. We sat at a table outside, watched as the chefs made fresh gnocchi and ate the most delicious pasta I’ve ever tasted. This is a must-do in Rome.

After ticking off various activities like visiting the beautiful Trevi Fountain, climbing up the iconic Spanish steps, strolling through Piazza Novana and gaping at the incredible architecture of the Pantheon, we decided to take a walk through Rome’s Villa Borghese park. Following a busy day in the city, it was nice to walk around and escape the crowds. We found ourselves by The Laghetto, a small picturesque lake with a 19th-century temple in its centre, where you can hire a rowboat for just 3 euros. This utterly spontaneous activity became one of the highlights of the trip. The lake has over 100 turtles, swans, ducks and geese; it was like stepping straight into a movie scene.

Later that evening, we went for dinner at Caffe Ciampini, which I spotted earlier in the day at the top of the Spanish Steps. Watching the sun set over Rome with a glass of wine in hand was a magical end to a perfect day.

Day three consisted of wandering around ancient Rome, visiting the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. And after a day of marvelling at all the incredible ruins, it was only right to go for dinner at Ristorante Di Rienzo. We were seated on their terrace, amongst the energy of the square and just a few metres away from the most preserved temple of Ancient Rome, the Pantheon. We ended our evening with a walk around Rome at night, gelato in hand, of course.

The final day was spent ticking off the last few tourist attractions from my list; Palatine Hill, Largo di Torre Argentina and Altar of the Fatherland. Then, finally, we sat down for a cocktail at Taba Café, a chilled little bar in the middle of Campo di Fiori square, before making our way back to the airport a little drunk and with lots of new memories from one of our favourite cities.