EXPLORING THE ETERNAL CITY OF ROME

Last weekend our Creative Design Manager Ed was treated by his mum and brother with a weekend holiday to Rome for his Birthday. Here is his travel diary accompanied with some beautiful pictures he took whilst he was out there. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!

'Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with ancient Roman history, and have always dreamt about where it all began and what it must have been like to stand in the great Coliseum 2000 years ago. So for my Birthday my mum (Irene) and brother (Tom) decided to treat me to a weekend away in the old city of Rome.

We arrived in Rome on Friday afternoon and were welcomed by the beaming sunshine and 26 degrees heat. With that we put on our walking shoes and hit the road to discover the city. The hotel was a perfect boutique hotel placed a stone’s throw away from the great Trevi Fountain and even better it was right in front of Rome’s famous Trevi ice cream parlour.

The Trevi Fountain 

The Trevi fountain was built around 400 years ago and is famous for being one of the most romantic sites in the city as well as being a popular scene for many movies such as the 1954 film ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’. The Trevi fountain stands at 26 metres high and 20 metres in width making it the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. There is a myth that if a visitor of Rome throws a coin in the fountain they are ensured to return to Rome one day. So naturally the three of us threw in a coin in hope of being able to come back one day.

Irene in front of the Trevi Fountain

As you can see from the photos above it is a truly impressive site but not quite near as impressive as my beautiful mother sporting the Ruby+Ed Maya Linen dress.

From the fountain we took our exploring deeper into the city and further back in time visiting the Pantheon a temple which was originally built to honour of the ancient Roman Gods. After being amazed by the beautiful architecture and murals of the Pantheon our travels lead us to the Spanish steps. 

(left) The Pantheon, (right) Irene and Tom sitting on the Spanish steps.

On our second day we took a long but leisurely walk to one of history’s most deadly and famous arenas... the Coliseum! Below you can see some pictures that I took of the Coliseum where my mum wore the Aruna Dusty Rose dress from our SS12 collection. 

Ed and Irene at the Coliseum. Here you can see Irene wearing the Aruna Dusty Rose

After taking a tour of the Coliseum we had a quick look at the Forum before taking what felt like a trek to the Pope’s household and possibly the smallest country I have ever visited…The Vatican City and the Vatican museum.

Walking past the Forum to the Vatican City

If you have never been to the Vatican then I would definitely recommend it to you, especially if you have an appreciation of art. I was pleasantly surprised and would say it was possibly one of the most impressive places that we saw during the holiday. I learnt that the Vatican isn't just the home of the Pope and the Mecca of the Roman Catholic religion but is also the home of the Sistine Chapel of which has a ceiling completely painted by the famous Michelangelo some 500 years ago. In addition to this it would seem that every room and corridor was painted from wall to ceiling, all of which by either Michelangelo and or his students.

Irene outside the Vatican wearing the Charcoal crinkle scarf

The Vatican has one of the richest sculpture collections in the world and I would safely say that you don’t have to be an art lover to be blown away by the sites of the building. However, I would say that if you have a bad neck then be prepared as you can’t help but walk around with your head tilted back and eyes glued upwards at the ceilings.'

Inside the Vatican

Ruby+Ed x