I haven't blogged in soo long, my apologies. I spent far too much time last year on dating (blog post to follow) and not enough doing the things that I love and make me happy. This is now my number one resolution for 2015.
Anyway May and June last year were a pretty crazy couple of months for me and one of the highlights was jumping on a plane to meet two of the best girls I know for a cheeky weekend in Rome. My friend Natalie came over from her homeland of Oz to visit us girls, have some adventures and make some amazing memories.
Part of the trip included her heading off with my sister for a rather amazing trip across Switzerland and Italy. While sadly I didn't have the time off work to join them on the entire trip I vowed to meet them in Rome for a food and fun fuelled weekend.
See I visited Rome back in 2006 and threw the obligatory coin in the Trevi meaning I was destined to return (at least that was my excuse)! Excited to see the city again I jumped on the plane, arriving in Rome early on Friday morning. We stayed in a little hostel by Rome's Termini which I managed to find without an Italian meltdown. Now I've never exactly been overjoyed at the thought of staying at a hostel but at £90 for 3-days and in a private triple room it was a pretty good deal.
Having meandered through the streets of Rome, reacquainting myself with the magical city (and Sephora obviously) I met the girls who were coming in from the breath taking Cinque Terre that night at Termini. Tales of a rather sweaty and stressful journey were told and we headed back to the hostel to recoup and get ready for our first day of Italian fun.
Rome is an absolutely awe inspiring city. As I've said I visited back in 2006 but never managed to make it to the Coliseum so this was top of the list for day one. After witnessing the queue for general admission we decided to pay the extra Euro's and join one of the many tours. I was a bit dubious at first but this turned out to be one of the best decisions of the holiday! Our tour guide Tiberius was one of the most welcoming, entertaining and intelligent men I have ever met. What he didn't know about the history of the city and in particular the Coliseum wasn't worth knowing.
Having meandered through the streets of Rome, reacquainting myself with the magical city (and Sephora obviously) I met the girls who were coming in from the breath taking Cinque Terre that night at Termini. Tales of a rather sweaty and stressful journey were told and we headed back to the hostel to recoup and get ready for our first day of Italian fun.
Rome is an absolutely awe inspiring city. As I've said I visited back in 2006 but never managed to make it to the Coliseum so this was top of the list for day one. After witnessing the queue for general admission we decided to pay the extra Euro's and join one of the many tours. I was a bit dubious at first but this turned out to be one of the best decisions of the holiday! Our tour guide Tiberius was one of the most welcoming, entertaining and intelligent men I have ever met. What he didn't know about the history of the city and in particular the Coliseum wasn't worth knowing.
If you go to the Coliseum and Forum I would definitely recommend joining a tour not just for the queue jump but also for the vast wealth of information the tour guide can give you. Tiberius took us back to the days of the gladiators and really made us appreciate the beauty of this striking landmark.
Famished from our trek through the Coliseum and Forum we headed off in search of another amazing attraction in Italy: the food! I'd read a great review of a little restaurant called Colline Emiliane (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d696516-Reviews-Colline_Emiliane-Rome_Lazio.html) so we made a beeline for the place later on in the afternoon after the lunch time rush. The wonderful little restaurant, which serves typical fare from the Emilia region of Italy is just a stones throw for Piazza Barberini and I highly recommend it.
Having witnessed the vast array of mouth-watering desserts on offer as we entered the restaurant we decided to order some light pasta dishes so we could save ourselves for the main event.
Tortellini stuffed with butternut squash and bathed in Sage butter for Julie and I.
Along with a tomato and beef affair for Natalie. The pasta is handmade on the premises and while simple is absolutely delicious, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.
The desserts however are where the Emilliane is really outstanding. Check out this little slice of heaven: a decadent, gooey pecan and honey pie with perfect vanilla ice cream, yum.
Oh and this indulgently rich chocolate and nut torte. It's safe to say we enjoyed every mouthful and I would personally return to this restaurant again and again. You just know the food is going to be good somewhere when it's packed with locals.
Being a massive street art fan I couldn't resist snapping some pics on the way back to the hotel. Like most cities the place is packed with amazing art pieces that you can enjoy without ever having to step into a gallery.
Check out the next post for more of our Italian adventure.
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