We stayed in the Best Western Piccadilly hotel which was an excellent location on Via Magna Carta. It is easy to get around on public transport on the trams which are frequent, it was around £3 for all day ticket. Once in the city we could walk everywhere as it was a very pleasant stroll around.
On the first day we decided to explore and see all of the attractions which are easy to get to. We ended up in Piazza de Spagna which is one the piazzas where you will find lots of shops and little cafes and restaurants. We ended up finding the Spanish Steps which is a popular attraction around this area. It is a steep set of steps which at the top has a church which makes the view beautiful. It is gorgeous to look at and makes the whole square come together. Not too far from these steps is the Trevi Fountain. My sister and I are huge Lizzie McGuire fans so we were really excited to go. It was ridiculously busy and unless you are dedicated to push your way through the crowds you aren't going to be able to get your Instagram shot. We made our way slowly to the front and waited for a little slot and then snuck in. It is a beautiful fountain which has been well maintained and it is lovely and clean. It is actually patrolled by police officers to stop people acting like hooligans and to ensure the safety of all tourists. Around this area is lots of little streets and we got our first ice cream of the holiday which as always was delicious. Another bustling area to visit is Via del Corso which is a main street which has narrow alleys and different small piazzas. It also links to Piazza Venezia which a part of the city where lots of tourists gather due to its variety of shops and malls.
If you have read any of my previous travel guides, you will know that when I go on city breaks I love getting on a hop on/ hop off tour buses. We decided to do this on the second day and it once again turned out to be an excellent idea. On the bus we realised that you could hop off at the Vatican and as the sun was shining we decided it was the perfect opportunity. As I am not catholic I didn't really know too much about the Vatican, but from what I had seen and heard it was a must visit place. The Vatican and its surrounding is actually an independent city-state ran by the Pope called Vatican City. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were met with a beautiful site. You have to walk over a bridge to get to the start of the City and the sight was incredible. You enter a big area called St Peter's Square. As well as the main attraction - St Peters Basilica, there are lots of other museums and buildings. The fast track queue to get into St Peters Basilica was approximately two hours and we all decided that we would rather wander round at our pace taking in the outside and its beauty. It is considered one of the greatest and largest pieces of architecture across the globe. Many tourists take pilgrimages to see it and on religious days throughout the year the Pope himself will do a number of speeches and readings. You can also go into inside if you want to see Sistine Chapel which is said to be also stunning. We spent a good few hours wandering around and eating pizza and wine in the sunshine.
Also on the bus tour we got to see the roman forum which is huge. It was once a plaza surrounded by ancient government buildings and now its remains are still there to walk around. We took the entire tour which discussed all of the different areas of Rome and it gave us a good basis of where everything was within the city.
There is no denying my family loves visiting a Zoo. We wanted to take a bit of time out of the city and decided to visit Bioparco di Roma which is the oldest and largest zoological gardens in Italy. It was a fantastic day out, and unlike English zoos it was not busy at all. It was so pleasant to walk round and we spent the entire day there. It had such a wide array of animals and we overall had a really fantastic day.
Before I went to Rome one of my friend's recommended to go into the Trastevere area. It has a variety of bars and restaurants and is lovely at night if you just want a leisurely stroll and to stop for a few drinks and to relax. I don't have any particular restaurant recommendations as everywhere we ate was amazing.
We went to the Coliseum on the last day and it was great. My family and I are all history geeks and it was fabulous to go to. I am going to write a separate dedicated post to it as there is a lot of information to discuss. My advice is that you can get your tickets on the day if you want to as there are literally hundreds of people selling tickets. We bought fast pass tickets for a specific time which was great as it saved time queuing which was great as it started to rain. Once inside we decided to get the tour which I would definitely recommend. Overall, it was fantastic and is a must see attraction for anyone visiting Rome.
We all had an incredible time eating, drink and exploring in Rome and I love anywhere in Italy for this reason. I feel like we managed to do all the sites as well as take some time to stroll and not be stuck to a strict schedule. I would definitely recommend visiting if it's only for the pizza and pasta!
Lucy
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment