Last summer, my incredibly talented wife won a football betting competition at her school, beating all her male colleagues with her impressive knowledge of football. đ First prize was a two night trip anywhere in Europe!
So, last weekend we headed to Rome for three days, just the two of us. We flew Ryanair from Brussels Airport. Low fares, made simple. From Rome Fiumicino’s Airport, the very convenient Leonardo da Vinci Express Train takes you to Roma Termini Station in under half an hour.
Unfortunately the hotel choices that came along with the prize were rather limited which meant we ended up in a hotel that didn’t quite ‘agree’ with our style. I will spare you the details, but let me tell you just this… the place couldn’t even serve a decent cup of coffee in the morning… and we were in Italy! Luckily there was this great little authentic coffee bar just around the corner to settle our morning needs.
The two of us just love strolling around in cities and just go… wherever the smell of coffee takes us. And luckily for us, Rome has plenty of cute little streets to wander around in.
Also for a classic car enthusiast such as myself, Rome is pure heaven…
It was exactly 25 years ago since we were last in this beautiful city so seeing all the sights again certainly brought back a lot of memories. the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo, the Forum Romanum, Vatican City…
A friend recommended going to Campo Fiori where you can find the cutest little market selling fruit and veg and all kinds of household goods. We ended up twice at the terrace of ObicĂ to enjoy some wine and just watch the world go by…
When you cross the river Tiber via the Isola Tiberina you get to Trastevere, a historical and charming part of Rome with an almost village-like feel. Wonderful to just stroll through the narrow streets and sit on one of the quaint little squares. Rome is also the world capital of churches with more than 900 scattered around all over the city. We just love to walk in and just sit there for a few minutes to admire the beautiful artwork that can be found in so many of them.
While the weather that weekend was quite stormy in Belgium, it felt almost like spring in Rome! Definitely T-shirt weather!
It was great re-discovering the great city of Rome after all this time and we will definitely be back!
Some great spots we can recommend:
Il gelato di San Crispino (yummy ice-cream)
ObicĂ Mozarella Bar (drinks and food)
Analemma (aperitivo)
Urbana 47 (dinner)
Osteria Delle Coppelle (lovely drinks and food on a cosy little square)
Sermoneta (superbe collection of gloves)
C.U.C.I.N.A. (kitchen supply store)
