Wedding in Rome
Being invited to the wedding we arranged to travel out a few days before the wedding to spend some quality time in Rome. Once again Rome did not disappoint, it is a marvellous city to visit, not only for its history but for great wonderful food and hospitality.
We flew direct from Dublin to Rome Ciampino with a low cost airline and I had arranged for a private transfer to meet us and take us to our apartment in Central Rome. Arriving in the evening we had a quick look at our apartment before heading out for a lovely pizza for dinner. As usual in Italy I just ordered the house wine and as usual I was delighted with the choice of the restaurant.
The following morning we headed out for our pre-arranged Segway tour of Rome. I thoroughly recommend you book this trip if you are visiting. The Segways are a lot of fun but it is also a great way to see the city, especially as you climb some steep hills. Our trip took us pass the Colosseum, the Forum, the Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus and the Campidoglio itself. One particular highlight (which I had never visited before) was the Villa del Priorato di Malta at the top of the Aventine Hill. As well as being huge fun (whatever the weather – it was raining when we started our tour) the great thing about Segways is they cope far better with the hills than my old legs can.
Following the recommendation of our Segway guide we walked a few streets to have lunch at L'Antica Birreria Peroni. For an authentic lunch experience, I can thoroughly recommend here, nothing fancy just great food reasonably priced. It is also very popular locally as evidenced by the long queues to get in as we were leaving. We had arrived just after noon, and I suggest you do the same if you want to avoid a queue. We then visited two of our favourite spots in Rome, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. That evening we had another stroll through Trastevere, this is a great neighbourhood, full of local shops and enticing restaurants. After a pleasant stroll we found somewhere we liked the look of and had a great meal.
The next morning we headed to the Colosseum for a tour, entry is usually quicker if you are part of a tour group so we had arranged a walking tour of the Colosseum followed by a tour of the Forum. Once again I was fascinated by just how advanced the ancient Romans were, both guides were great full of super stories to keep my interest as well as learning so much more. Rome is also a great city for just having a stroll through the various neighbourhoods and this afternoon we had a lovely walk through Trastevere.
That evening we were invited to a pre-wedding cocktail reception at the bar on the roof of the Forum Hotel. This was an amazing venue, overlooking the forum itself and enjoying cocktails as the sun slowly sett was magical.
The following day was the day of the wedding. The civil ceremony was due to start at 4pm so we had a lovely lunch in a restaurant just of the Piazza Navona and then got all our best clothes on. Our apartment was only a few minutes’ walk to the Campidoglio so we arrived in plenty of time. This wedding venue is spectacular, Rome’s town hall the Campidoglio is situated on the Capitoline Hill and was designed Michelangelo no less! The actual ceremony takes place in the Sala Rossa a beautiful room covered in red. The ceremony itself was quick and then it was outside for some amazing pictures of the new bride and groom with all their guests.
Then we were taken by coach to the Borgo di Tragliata which is a farmhouse outside Rome for the wedding reception. Prosecco and anti-pasta on arrival was followed by a fantastic meal and lots of wine. After the speeches, dancing and celebrating went on until the ‘wee small hours’ before the coach took everyone home.
The following morning we spent having a walk round the Piazza Navona, there was a real buzz about this square with lots of families out enjoying the morning sunshine. Street entertainers and stalls added to the great atmosphere. A quick bite of lunch and then we returned to the Campidoglio, but this time to visit the very impressive museum which runs underneath the square above. For our final dinner in the Eternal City we returned to Trastevere.
Once again I loved my trip to Rome and I am looking forward to returning again.