Rome holds a special place in my heart. In 2007, my aunt and uncle took my brother and I abroad to Paris, Florence, and Rome. It was my first trip to Europe and one I will never forget! I had never experienced anything like it. The history, the beauty in everything – cobblestone streets, buildings standing for centuries, and, of course, the tiniest cars I had ever seen. I remember lugging my suitcase from Termini Station to the quaint Hotel Aberdeen, a Rick Steves approved bed and breakfast. Looking back, I think this is where my love for staying at bed and breakfasts began! This one is definitely no frills, but the staff were so friendly and the breakfast was delicious.

That trip stuck with me so much that when it came time to decide where to honeymoon, Italy was a no-brainer. It was my first time returning to Europe since the above mentioned trip, and Josh’s first time to Italy. We chose to fly in and out of Rome, starting our trip off with all of the heavy-hitters: the colosseum, the forum, the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, Galleria Borghese, and The Vatican. We even went to the Opera!

I wish I could say that the opera was a better experience. The venue itself is stunning, but we made the rookie mistake of buying tickets for the first night of the first day we arrived. Tired was an understatement! And another rookie mistake was that I bought tickets that were in one of the side boxes. The photo online showed that it had 4 chairs, but little did I know that the box would be quite small to fit said 4 chairs. The two other people that were also in the box with us, arrived there before us. And of course, the two remaining chairs were more or less positioned behind their seats, making it difficult to see over the box railing. So not only could I not see really anything, I ended up standing for most of the evening so that I could see, jet lagged. I will say though, on a positive note, the pre-opera drinks and snacks we had near the opera house were great! And it worked out that the bed and breakfast we were staying in was right down the street, so we just left the performance early and called it a night! Now I know not to book anything on the first night that we arrive, just in case we are too tired.

We were only in Rome for the first few nights of our trip so we made them count. We ate at La Pergola, the 3-star Michelin restaurant located at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel. This was a treat! The views from this restaurant are stunning, as is the property. The service was absolutely incredible, as to be expected. It is a little bit outside of the city center, but definitely worth the trip and the experience.

After making our journey to Montepulciano, Montalcino, Chianti, Siena, and Florence for the remainder of the trip, we returned to Rome for one final night. We stayed at the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese since we love that area of town! We were showered with a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino and chocolate covered strawberries when we entered our room. This hotel is elegant and beautiful, and their terrace bar and restaurant offers stunning views of the city. It was a lovely way to end our honeymoon.

Fast forward to present day; We are headed to Rome in a couple of weeks and cannot wait. We haven’t been in the city since May of 2019 – a brief two-night stay on the backend of a trip we took to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. We are excited to spend a couple of weeks slowly exploring Rome and revisiting the places that we have the fondest memories of.

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