Springtime in Rome
La Dolce Vita: 5 reasons you will love Rome in the Spring | Alex Gorton, Auree Travel Contributor.
No one needs an excuse to visit Rome, but it’s especially good at this time of year. We don’t need to tell you about the sites (we’re assuming you know about those already), we’re here to tell you why we would love to be in Rome right now (and yes, one of those reasons does involve ice cream…)
1. It’s the perfect time to go
Cards on the table. We think Spring is the best time to visit the Eternal city. The weather is great (sunny, but not boiling), there aren’t as many crowds (no-one likes a bun-fight around the Colosseum) and it’s just so pretty (the blossom, the light, the warmth, the sheer Rome-ness of it all – it’s enough to make you want to dance in the Trevi Fountain!)
2. Your first ice cream of the season
You *may* have been eating ice cream all year (ahem), but there’s nothing better than your first ice cream in the sunshine – well there is, if you eat it in Rome. Grab a scoop (in a cup, not a cone is the way the Romans eat it) and wander the cobbled streets with the sun on your face. Rome is a city of wonderful gelaterias, but we particularly love I Caruso near Via Veneto and Il Gelato di San Crispino (expensive, but if you read Eat Pray Love, then you may want to try it).
3. The hotels
Spring is shoulder-season meaning that many hotels are more affordable now than they will be during the hot, hot, hot high summer-season. We love the impeccably stylish, brilliantly located Casa Montani, a 5-bed townhouse/upscale b&b with Cecil Beaton photographs and wood floors only 5 minutes from the Spanish Steps. In the heart of Piazza di Spagna, the effortlessly stylish Mario de Fiori 37 is ideally located for shopping and sightseeing; the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona are all only a short walk away.
4. The fashion
We’re not talking Roman fashion per se, we’re talking Spring fashion. If you, like us, have been desperate to throw off your winter layers and bare your ankles since err January, then Rome in the Spring sunshine is the place to do it. May we recommend a pair of chinos (all the fashionistas are wearing them), a midi-dress and a pair of espadrilles (good for all that walking you’re going to do)? Not forgetting a pair of Gold Hoop Earrings and a Gemstone Bracelet.
5. The food
Not only will you be eating al fresco without the hot summer problem of flies (hurrah!) you will be able to enjoy Spring delicacies such as Roman artichokes, fava beans and asparagus. At their most delicious at this time of year, spring menus are just bursting with flavour. And of course, when in Rome you have to eat pizza. La Pratolina near the Vatican specialises in mouth-wateringly good oval-shaped pizzas.
Travel Contributor: Alex Gorton
Image credits: 1) plazaholidays.com 2) unsplash.com 3) casamontani.com 4) my-jewellery.com 5) unsplash.com