A Roman Holiday (and a video!)

A Roman Holiday

Have you seen Roman Holiday? A few months before we left for Rome, I chose it for one of our movie nights, excitedly watching Audrey Hepburn throwing tantrums in petticoats and losing her shoes in a ballroom and Gregory Peck in slightly oversized boxy suits, nonchalantly discovering the undercover princess on the Spanish Steps as she eats a Giolitti cone. Vespa rides through the city, liberating haircuts, silly laughs at the Mouth of Truth, dancing, drinks and of course a holiday romance. I don’t think there is quite a movie like it, deliciously over the top, full of romance, nostalgia and the sights of the city committed to black and white reels before the throngs of tourists, selfie sticks and all those men selling roses arrived. You can’t watch Roman Holiday and expect to arrive in the city to see it exactly the same, but it is the perfect film for watching as you plan the sights and restaurants you want to visit during your stay.

Luckily I did get my Giolitti cone but the Spanish Steps were closed for renovation as we visited and I didn’t ride a Vespa, although having already seen the way Italians drive I wouldn’t dare anyway. But we did have our very own adventure in the city of lights, drinking in architecture, beautiful gardens, religious and ancient Roman sights and eating plenty of pasta and sipping many a glass of vino. I’ve finally put together a little film of our Roman Holiday along with the last few pictures from our trip in July. It already feels like a memory, the little Italian phrases slowly slipping from my conscious and street names and restaurants requiring a look back at my notes rather than rolling off the tongue. But thankfully we have plenty of pictures and our own little adventure captured on film to look back on whenever we need a reminder of our time in Italy. I’ll just keep pretending I’m just like Audrey.

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

Rome really is beautiful by night. The fountain on the right is in Piazza Navona and we saw two couples get engaged there during our stay on separate nights. The first girl didn’t seem too thrilled and the second were interrupted by a man selling selfie sticks! Ah, the joys of tourist hotspots!

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

We stumbled upon this exhibition in the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, which houses a series of different copper trees from apple to pomegranate throughout the church, It was a really beautiful find and just brought it home to explore every church we came across, each one had a different story hidden within it just waiting to be discovered. 

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

On Chris’ birthday, we wandered over to St Peter’s Basilica to watch the Pope’s mass from his apartment window. I remember being able to pick out a few Italian words, but it was just incredible to see the thousands of people who had turned out draped in flags of all nations, their faces full of joy. No matter your beliefs, it is something I would recommend checking out as you can just walk into the square and watch from a screen then wander back out again fairly easily. We left a little early as it got far too hot and hid in the shade with a beer to hear the rest from a loud speaker. We hope he didn’t mind, we were still listening!

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

What can I say, we both like the same colours!

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

A Roman Holiday

The stairs at the exit of the Vatican Museums are just too crazy not to photograph!

A Roman Holiday

I hope you enjoyed this little series all about our trip to Rome, I’ve really enjoyed dabbling in travel writing again. If you missed the last few posts, I wrote about some of our favourite spots for gelato, pizza and pasta here and my top tips for surviving sightseeing during the summer months here. Ciao!

Comments

  1. Emily says

    Gregory Peck’s boxy suits- so true , love that film and the 1950s dialogue ‘say, what the big idea Joe?’

  2. says

    What a beautiful post! Rome is just amazing isn’t it! I really need to watch Roman Holiday, how have I not already?! Your travel writing is so lovely, I always think writing in detail about holidays / making videos is so good not only to share but for you to look back on as well, aaaall the memories! Immy x

    http://www.immymay.com

    • says

      I agree, I wish I had been doing it long ago but the memories just aren’t as fresh in my mind! I’ve really been enjoying creating videos too, because all those memories just come flooding back in the two minutes it takes to watch it! You certainly should, if you’re a fan of Audrey or 50s movies its an absolute must see, its up there with Funny Face, another classic all about Paris 🙂 Thank you for your kind words!

  3. says

    Your post brings back memories. We didn’t manage to see Fontana di Trevi as it was in renovation. We should go back one day.

    Thanks for sharing!

  4. says

    Fabulous pics! I haven’t been to rome in ages, you have inspired me to book a weekend away! (So happy you didn’t ride a Vespa, you’re right the drivers are a tad scary!).

  5. says

    Wonderful post! I absolutely hate what you do to me (a girl on diet) with those stunning pictures of food so was nice to see some architecture too, lol. Anyway- you’re doing a great work with your blog, it’s a genuine pleasure to read and a torture to look at (although it’s meant to be a compliment 😉 ).

    Mal
    http://www.intothecity.me/

  6. Pixie Allen says

    Rome is on my wish list of places to visit, it’s so beautiful the images and your descriptions ah makes me want to pack up and go

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