Within two seconds of looking longingly at photos of our time in Rome, I am whisked away to the smells, sights and sounds of this beautiful city. I remember saying to my family, before jetting off, that I didn’t know how I would perceive all the iconic sites that I had put on my wish list. So, the Colosseum for example, I have seen it in films, read about it in history books, seen paintings and art pieces dedicated to it but I just couldn’t fathom that I would ever be privy to experience it in person. I imagined it like those episodes where a sitcom is filmed on location, i.e. Friends in London for Ross’s wedding, it’s still the same cast but the film//camera is different. Like using a different lens. Turns out I am a future-seeing genius because that’s exactly what Rome was like for me. As soon as we landed and travelled through the streets from the airport, I adopted a different set of lenses. Same same, but different.

// DAY ONE //

We were welcomed to our incredible apartment (sourced via booking.com by daddy dearest) by our host Sergio. What a beautiful man. Limited English, unlimited smiles. He walked us through what would be our humble abode for the next four days, and pointed out recommended places to see and eat at (molto importante per i Italiani).

The first thing that struck me was the quaintness of the streets. The uneven cobblestone, the wooden store fronts, the red and white checkered table cloths … I loved this city from the moment I laid eyes on it.

We wasted no time exploring and our first stop was a cruisey walk from our apartment to the Pantheon. I would have to go out on a limb and say that this was one of my favoruite sites in Rome. The architecture was exquisite, the ambience in the forum outside was amazing and … dat roof! If you walk through (either with a tour guided group or solo – entry is free) just stand at the centre of the floor space and look up. How on earth did the Ancient Romans create such a masterpiece before the use of cranes, machinery and any of those advances in technology that make it all a little easier these days!

Piazza Navona was essentially our backyard water feature. Seriously. Our apartment was within a few minutes walking distance from it. I absolutely loved this Piazza (probably my favourite one actually). We were lucky enough on our final day in Rome, to pop our head into an incredible church that stood within the Piazza and saw//heard the most beautiful church choir. Goosebumps.

Dinner was at Orso 80 – a run of the mill (so we thought) – Italian restaurant. Oh my holy Italian God. The bread, phenomenal. The pizza and pasta, ass says no but mouth says ‘hells yes’. The ‘house wine’, I was sold. Incredible indication of what we were in for over the next few days. Delicioso.

// DAY TWO //

We kicked off our first ‘official’ morning in Rome with one of my personal favourite memories of the whole trip – a morning run along the beautiful river near Trastevere. Dad and I plodded along, feeling way out of our running depth with no recent kilometers clocked, but kept describing the ‘pinch me’ location of our gruelling run. The boardwalk that faces the castle on the Trastevere side of the bridge is lined with pop up tourist stalls and a few cafes – so we stopped for a cappuccino and pastry for a light breakfast before our day of exploring.

This was our uber touristy site seeing day. We ventured out to the Colosseum early morning to see whether we could coordinate a self guided tour for that day. We came across a small tour company, you know the poachers holding clipboards ready to lure in unsuspecting Australians, who introduced us to Anna. Anna was a lovely Roman lady who was so dang knowledgable and passionate about Roman history – you couldn’t help but to get your geek on around her. The tour took us around the recently excavated Roman Ruins (so bizarre that the foundations of entire civilisations were once buried below our feet!) and through the grounds where there once stood great temples, forums and squares of the Roman Rules and Emperors.

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Within the square that surrounds the Pantheon there are a myriad of amazing, authentic and affordable (seriously – all the A’s you need!) restaurants and cafes. After our tour, we were absolutely zonked. We decided to indulge in a late, shared lunch at a beautiful little restaurant that’s a little off the beaten track (not in the main arena but nearby). We had phenomenal lunch at (I think it was …) Settimio Al Pantheon – lasagne; pasta; tuna salad; pizza to share! Our lovely waiter even gifted up with Limincello and biscotti as an after meal treat – not necessary after consuming our weight in carbs but, of course, we happily obliged.

We spent the afternoon popping in and out of stores; getting lost in the windy streets and, oh, meeting the world’s cutest dog. This beautiful Chow Chow lay in the same spot, outside a gorgeous homewares store, e’rryday! My face always lit up when I turned the corner and saw her!

So THAT is our first two days in Roma. Incredible huh? Time seems to slow down when you’re away, it kind of makes you realise just how many hours there are in a waking day and just how much you can experience in that time. We are so dang blessed.

Blessings and too-much-pastaaaaa x

Stay tuned over the next week for continuation of our Roman adventures.