Welcome to Spring! Finally we are in March and for me Winter is long gone and im looking forward to the Summer months ahead. March is my birthday month so I always try to book a short break away somewhere. I’ve had Paris on my places to visit list for a long time now but the weather isn’t great at the moment so decided instead to head to Italy to try to get a bit of sunshine. I’ve always had a passion for Italy first visiting it over 10 years ago and especially the beautiful city of Rome with all it’s glorious history and monuments and the relaxed way of life.
This will be the fifth time I’ve been here and still it amazes me. This time instead of booking a hotel I have decided to stay in a small boutique venue in Rome called the Place 24 Suites & Wellness. Ideally located near the Piazza Popolo it’s central position makes it easy to walk to all the main attractions.
The wellness 24 rooms are on the third floor of a converted building and no expense has been spared in these six luxurious rooms. The friendly concierge greeted us on arrival and showed us to our amazing room. The first thing you notice is the vast ceiling height and space of these super contemporary bedrooms equipped with double glass tech shower and stunning marble sink and dressing area. The lighting system is fantastic with every staircase and step illuminated by sensors and a private mood light jacuzzi and steam pod, now that is just what you need after a day on your feet!
As there is not a breakfast room here the room has full mini bar and every morning the staff bring two full trays of food and coffee to the room so we could enjoy a relaxing breakfast in bed. Also as a special touch the concierge noticed from my passport it was my birthday so brought a chilled bottle of Prosecco for me as a gift.
We were blessed on this trip with blue skies and fantastic sunshine with temperatures reaching 22 degrees at mid day. I’d taken a lot of jumpers and warm clothes and I found it best to layer up and then take off as the day got hotter. I’ve been obsessed lately with the colour pink, I think after wearing dark colours all winter it is so exciting and refreshing when the Spring shades arrive in the shops. Of course I went a little overboard and bought so much ranging from jumpers to coats to shoes in the gorgeous blush colour.
When I travel for just a few days I usually just take a hard carry on case. It saves time at the airport and when visiting a city you are out walking and exploring all day so you tend to eat out and don’t need a change of outfit for the evening unless it’s a special occasion. We definitely did some walking on this trip crossing the city to explore the sights and even though we have visited them before they are still breathtaking. I only brought with me my black Chelsea boots and a pair of heals. After all the walking my feet hurt so much I was glad to find a H&M store and purchase a pair of white pumps to wear.
I try to keep my wash and make up bag quite minimal also using mini travel sized products or samples I’ve been given. My perfume, I decant a little into a small spray bottle as the limit for carry on is 100mls and in the past I’ve had glass perfume bottles smash in my luggage which is heartbreaking.
The Vatican City is probably one of my favorite attractions. The history, architecture and art amazes me, its worth booking a museum tour which lasts about 2 hours. I pre booked mine on-line before we travelled with Maximus tours. I booked them in the past and they are super friendly and knowledgable. I would highly recommend them and although there are plenty tours being touted on the streets Maximus tours are reliable and made up of small English-speaking groups. I’ve now done the Vatican tour three times and each time I learn something new, it’s also a good way of beating the crowds and queues if you have pre-booked.
Another top tip is buying a multi ticket to enter the Roman Forum which is where all the ruins of the palaces and temples are. You can get entry to the Coliseum free and without having to queue. We visited the ruins and the Coliseum on our second day and the weather was just amazing, the bright blue sky just made all the sights that bit more dramatic.
This is me sat on the Spanish Steps in the sunshine. I had to remove my top from underneath my jumper because it was so hot and I think my leather look trousers may have melted a little to my legs if we sat there any longer. This fabulous frilled sleeved jumper had many people on Instagram asking me about it and it was from Shein a great online shop that does up to date fashion pieces at really low prices. I’d rather spend a bit more on basic wardrobe staples and mix it up with cheaper trend items that may not carry over more than a few seasons.
On the evening of my birthday we climbed the many steps and headed to the balcony high up above the Piazza Popolo where many people come to get the best sunset over the city. It didn’t disappoint and as the sun went down the whole skyline lit up with a pink haze.
Later on we booked a special meal at one of our favorite restaurants so I got dressed up a little. I absolutely loved wearing this pleated chiffon skirt from ASOS and new Topshop shoes.
A must see here is the Trevi Fountain. We walked down the narrow back streets then emerged to this glorious Michelangelo sculpture created on the back of a huge building. Around the fountain is always very busy but if you can get close enough you should toss in a coin over your shoulder to ensure you will return to Rome.
I hope everyone gets to visit Rome one day, the sights, people and Italian food will always leave me wanting to come back to discover more about their Language, History & Culture of this magical city.
Much Love,
Caroline xx
