Spring Break in Rome

During the Easter holidays, we were lucky enough to spend five days in the glorious city of Rome.

Sightseeing in Rome

We booked a B&B studio at Al Colonnato di San Pietro through Booking.com and, I have to say, it’s one of the loveliest apartments I’ve ever stayed in, with the most helpful of hosts, Rosa Maria

After reading the glowing reviews of Rosa Maria, I couldn’t wait to meet her. After arranging our transfer from the airport, as promised, she was waiting on the corner of the street to greet us. Full of smiles and cheer, she showed us into the apartment that was going to be our home for the next few days.

Apartment in Rome

It contained everything we could have possibly needed for a comfortable stay, including a double bed, single bed for Lil’ L, dining table and chairs, and a bathroom with spacious shower cubicle.

Apartment in Rome

But my favourite feature of the apartment had to be the kitchenette. When we first arrived I was looking around, searching for it. I knew the apartment had one as I’d seen it on the booking form, yet where was it?

Rosa Maria then pulled open the doors to the armoire and lo and behold, there it was! Hidden inside were storage cupboards filled with plates, cutlery and breakfast supplies, as well as a convection hot plate, sink, and fridge!

Apartment in Rome

Before she left us, Rosa Maria also gave us a map, and talked through the key sights to visit. She even gave us a mobile phone in case we wanted to ask her anything, including help with booking tickets or planning our sight seeing itinerary.

Rosa Maria helped us above and beyond her duty as host, and our trip to Rome was even more special thanks to her.

Rome sightseeing

As well as the apartment being better than I ever imagined, I also couldn’t believe how close it was to the centre of Rome. Just a short walk down the street, along the subway, and you arrived at Vatican City!

Vatican City

Our daily route into the historical quarter took us past some spectacular sights, including an old fort and a bridge filled with imposing statues and breathtaking views of the river.

Rome sightseeing

We’d arrived in Rome just after the Easter weekend, which I imagine is one of the busiest times. Saying that, I’m not sure whether there’s ever a time when Rome isn’t busy. It’s a hugely popular visitor destination and the key sights are literally heaving with tourists.

Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

Though I would have liked to have seen the Sistine Chapel, after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor which mentioned there’s no crowd control and you’re literally crammed in the chapel; I just didn’t fancy it. I’m sure all those hoardes of people snapping photos would detract from the specialness of the place.

Sightseeing in Rome

Rather than paying to visit a packed Sistine Chapel, they were plenty of other stunning churches to visit. Free to enter, they were a haven of peace and tranquillity away from the hubbub of the city.

On our first evening in Rome, we happened to enter a church on Piazza Navona, just as a choir from Michigan (USA) began a free concert. It was a true joy to experience.

Statue in Piazza Navona

We visited most of the key sights, but we chose to view them from the outside rather than queuing and paying to see inside.

Rome sight seeing

Courts of Justice

People were queuing round the block to enter the Colosseum and Forum, but the ‘free’ views were spectacular enough for me.

Forum

Sightseeing in Rome 1 500

Sightseeing in Rome

Obligatory selfie outside the Colosseum!

Colosseum Lil L Selfie

While the main tourist areas were heaving with people, it wasn’t hard to find areas away from the crowds, and I loved nothing more than meandering along the quieter side streets.

Sightseeing in Rome

Wherever you look in Rome there are sights to behold. Beautiful buildings; Roman ruins; stunning statues; breathtaking views…

View from the top of the Spanish Steps

Even the door knockers are spectacular!

Lion Door Knocker

I loved all the lion imagery in Rome…

Lion sculpture

while similar to his hunt for Invader art in Paris, Lil’ L loved nothing more than hunting out interesting graffitti and ‘sticker bomb’ street art as we walked round the city.

Rome - Lil L

It sure did keep him entertained! He must have taken a hundred photos and they came out so much better than I expected! Here’s a handful of my personal favourites…

Rome Grafitti

Grafitti Rome

Sticker Bombing

Sticker Bombing

Sticker bombing

Sticker Bombing

He even spotted a vegan sticker on this road sign!

Stick Bombing

Sightseeing in Rome entails a lot of walking, so I was grateful for my sister’s tip about wearing comfy trainers (sneakers). Most of the streets are made of cobbles, so heels are definitely a no-no.

As we spent most of the day on our feet, it was really handy to have a rental apartment so central. After lunch, we would head back for a rest and a lovely cup of home-brewed coffee, before heading out again for the evening.

Me & Lil L in Rome 1 500

With the money we’d saved on entrance fees, we treated ourselves to eating out a lot more than we’d originally planned. There were so many vegan-friendly eateries that we couldn’t resist eating out for both lunch and dinner, as well as sampling lots of vegan ice cream! Rome is the most vegan-friendly city I’ve visited to date, and we had some amazing finds!

Stay tuned for my next post on our experiences of eating vegan in Rome!

Sharon Signature 1

9 thoughts on “Spring Break in Rome

  1. We went to Rome last year and had a fab time, it’s really beautiful, and I also had no issues with finding Vegan food. I have to agree with you about the amount of tourists though, I’ve been to a lot of big cities and I don’t think I’ve been anywhere that is as busy as Rome!

  2. I’ve always wanted to visit Rome and you were so lucky to find a lovely apartment. I’ll remember your post for when we finally go. Glad to see you were able to enjoy vegan food out there, did you notice any gluten free options? Lil’ L is a great photographer, I love his passion for signs and street art, that’s what my youngest would have taken pics of too.

    1. Hi Vicky. Yes you must make it to Rome one day. It’s a truly beautiful city ♥ The gluten-free trend has certainly caught on there… I saw GF signs everywhere!

  3. You’ve taken me back to our few days in Rome last September 🙂 It looks like you fit a lot in and I’m glad you enjoyed the time away. The apartment sounds fantastic too and yes, that kitchenette is very clever!

  4. Wow – thanks for sharing your journey! Incredible place filled with so much history. Sounds like you fit a lot into your short trip. Glad you could easily find vegan options to eat too 🙂

    1. Hi Sandy. We sure did fit a lot into our trip, including eating lots of delicious vegan food 😀 Just putting the finishes touches to our ‘Eating Vegan in Rome’ post then I’ll hit publish x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.