Ciao Bella!
Well, here I am, in the Eternal City itself, Rome! My pink tutu and I are having the most wonderful time exploring this gorgeous, historic city. Can you believe it? I’m actually in Rome! And it’s even more amazing than I ever imagined!
This trip feels so different from any other, I guess because it's all thanks to my brilliant ballet performance last weekend in Derbyshire. We played to a packed house, the crowd went wild, and afterwards they were absolutely clamouring to buy my merchandise – that’s how I got the extra funds for my Roman adventure. It felt like a real "pinch me" moment, seeing everyone wearing my very own "Pink Tutu" logo tees, it was the ultimate "proud-Derbyshire-girl" feeling.
I love performing, but let me tell you, travelling by train with a giant, pink tutu is definitely an experience! I nearly had to abandon my beloved tutu on the Eurostar in the Channel Tunnel… it got stuck! Thankfully a lovely lady, who I assume was heading to Milan for fashion week, helped me disentangle the tulle. We had a lovely chat about fashion, of course, and she even told me she loves to wear pink! You see, it's like I told you: I can inspire anyone to wear pink.
So, here we are in Rome, just moments after arriving at Termini station. It’s so hot! Luckily, my pink tutu is perfect for the weather, it’s all airy and floaty and not at all stifling. We decided to have a wander, just a quick walk to get the lay of the land. Rome's streets are alive with people, sunshine, and history, it’s a perfect combination of modern bustle and timeless grandeur. The cobblestones are a bit hard on my dancing shoes, though!
As we walked through Piazza Barberini, we were mesmerized by the fountain, I’d seen pictures of course, but to be standing there, in front of this iconic structure was breathtaking. It feels like you’re actually walking into a piece of history! I think we spent at least fifteen minutes, just standing in awe! Then of course I took loads of pictures, trying different angles to catch the sunlight bouncing off the cascading water and the statues, just the right shade of pink for my feed!
Speaking of pictures, did I tell you I met the most adorable street performer near the Spanish Steps? He was doing some incredible street ballet moves and he agreed to have his picture taken with me, even posed for me with my pink tutu – imagine! This street ballet stuff, I must give it a try myself, there’s so much opportunity for a bit of pink-tutu magic.
The Spanish Steps! Now, where else in the world can you find stairs this beautiful? It’s just one giant staircase of pristine white marble! I think we must have climbed it at least ten times, and every time I look up I’m totally amazed by the scale of it all. I must get back to those steps when it’s quieter and capture their full majesty for Instagram. It's almost unfair how beautiful it all is!
Before my evening adventures I had a lovely light lunch, just a simple pizza and salad, near the Pantheon. That place, I'm just speechless… I even went inside and you can see it is absolutely beautiful, all domed and majestic, with the light pouring in, like it was shining directly from Heaven. I don’t know how anyone can stay in the same city as such magnificent architecture, and not fall head-over-heels in love with it!
And for the final act of this fantastic first day in Rome, I had a delicious pasta meal in a lovely trattoria on the banks of the River Tiber. My meal was exquisite – penne all’arrabiata with garlic and chilli, washed down with some lovely Italian white wine - pure perfection. I love how the local restaurants are full of colour and warmth. I did have to sit out in the open air, because they said my tutu was a bit much for the inside, "It is Rome," they said, "You should see the world!" I actually quite liked sitting in the Italian evening air.
After the delightful meal, we went for a slow meander along the riverbank. Rome's charm comes to life under the soft glow of the streetlamps, with couples strolling hand in hand and the twinkling city lights reflecting in the river. And all this with the incredible silhouette of Castel Sant’Angelo against the skyline! Rome has been painted onto my heart and I feel so fortunate to have discovered it for myself.
The one thing that made my evening magical though, was that I saw this incredible ballet street performer outside the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma – It was magnificent, he was using a lamppost to hold his tutu! Such a creative way of making the lamppost look so much more interesting, and the dancing! It really felt as though it had been choreographed! He told me, it wasn’t an official ballet, it was a love letter to the theatre. It truly is the most beautiful place I’ve seen in Rome so far!
Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to visiting the Colosseum, I hear they have the most stunning historical street performers, which is right up my street. I'm also on the hunt for the perfect pink silk scarf – I hear that there are amazing silk markets, so I’m sure I’ll find something special. I need to start my search now, so until tomorrow…. ciao, bella!
Stay sparkly, Emma xx
www.pink-tutu.com
