A few weeks ago, we visited the beautiful city of Rome for an early Spring break. We spent a lot of the time just wandering the streets and enjoying the sights, Rome is one of those cities that you walk round the corner and see an incredible ancient ruin!

With four days to explore the city, there’s so much to see. There was a lot to get see, on day one we walked around the Pantheon and got a coffee in the piazza, watching the world go by, we grabbed a pizza and then visited the Trevi Fountain to toss a coin over our right shoulder in a wish to come back. The Romans used to toss a coin into the water too, they hoped for a safe journey or a safe journey home after their trip.  It’s got to be the most stunning fountain in the world and we visited it both in the daytime and the nighttime so we could see it in every scenario! We were so lucky with the bright blue skies to see the white marble glinting back at us, though it was one of 1,352 fountains in 4th century Rome, it really is something else and stands out on it’s own.

The fountain was built after the construction of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 BC which provided water to both the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome. The Aqua Virgo (or Virgin Waters) is named in honour of a young Roman girl, who led thirsty soldiers to the source of the spring to drink.

The next day, we were up bright and early to have breakfast on the roof of our hotel – Hotel Forum, where we could look out onto the Forum, see peaks of the Colosseum and the Altare della Patria. We took a walk down to the Colosseum and a walk round showed the beautiful architecture. It’s incredible to remember how they built the amazing Colosseum without modern tools! It’s estimated that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, animal hunts, executions etc. In summary, it’s a building that was used for entertainment in the early medieval era. Later, it was reused for purposes that included houses, workshops, a fortress etc. It was partially ruined because of damaged that was caused to it in terms of both earthquakes and stone-robbers, but the Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.

We then walked down to the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) and popped our hands in to make sure we’re truthful! Followed by… you guessed it… pizza. 

The next day, after another fabulous breakfast, we pottered up to St Peter’s Square and the Vatican. After a day of exploring and walking along the river, we stumbled across the stunning view of the sun setting over St Peter’s Basilica – how lucky were we to see this!

Bright and early, we were up for another adventure and explored the Spanish Steps and surrounding areas. We then went to the Altare della Patria and we discovered a lift up to the top that took us to the most stunning views of Rome; on one side we could see the Colosseum, Forum and beyond to the mountains and on the other side we could see the Pantheon, Basilicas for miles and countless other sights – well worth the visit for the view!

We’d walked past this on the way home every night as our hotel was so near so I’m so glad we decided to go inside!

We had an amazing time and took a tote bag with us of course! Going around a city for a whole day, there’s so much you’ll need with you; from a hat and gloves when it gets a little more cold outside later on in the day to some snacks – plus it’s great to pop anything you’ve bought that day into!

We take a different bag every holiday as we’ve got so many beautiful William Morris designs in all different sizes; which one is your favourite?

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