Ciao bella! It's Emma, your favourite tutu-wearing traveller, and I'm positively giddy to be writing to you from the most magical, most beautiful city in the world: Rome.
My trip to this legendary land started like all my adventures, in a puff of pink tulle and a whiff of the most incredible croissant I've ever eaten at the Gare du Nord in Paris (my stopover, natch). The aroma of freshly baked bread and the joyous chatter of the French people had me feeling as vibrant and sparkly as a brand new pink tutu! I love train travel, It’s so romantic. The world flashing by outside the window feels like a magical filmreel.
Oh, but Rome… my heart has truly skipped a beat. It’s as if the ancient history is seeped into the very cobblestones, a delicious symphony of colours and flavours and… wait for it… a pink flamingo fountain outside the Basilica di San Clemente, the one on Via Labicana (trust me, look it up! It’s even more gorgeous than it sounds). I practically shrieked with joy. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to see something pink in this incredible, ancient city!
Rome, of course, is all about grand history and epic monuments, And I have to admit, I was just as enamoured by the Colosseum. Its crumbling, ancient walls whispered stories of emperors and gladiators and a glimmer of what it must have felt like to be a part of it all! Standing there in the sunlight, I couldn’t help but feel like I was transported back in time… even if my vintage pink beret (my favourite!) stood out rather sharply against the timeworn stone.
It wouldn’t be Rome without an elegant dinner at one of those charming, intimate Italian restaurants. You just have to experience the food here. It's a taste sensation! Pasta is just perfect here and my favourite: spaghetti alla carbonara which, even in this fabulous city, was quite possibly the best I’ve ever tasted!
And speaking of fabulous, the shopping here has me utterly delighted! Via Condotti, oh, how I adore thee! A haven of luxury designer boutiques, chic boutiques selling handcrafted items and… yes, you guessed it, gorgeous pink tutus. One exquisite, feathered one that caught my eye - I can’t wait to post a pic of it on www.pink-tutu.com, (you should be visiting every Wednesday, you know! That’s where I tell you all about my amazing travel adventures! )
I spent an afternoon simply strolling, letting the aroma of coffee and pastry wash over me, while enjoying the architectural masterpieces that lined the streets. From the grand Palazzo Barberini, to the majestic Pantheon, to the charming Trajan’s Column, the whole city feels like an open-air museum. I feel like I’m living in a romantic storybook, my friends. And I must say, this particular storybook is bursting with pretty pastel shades of pink!
The pink-loving girl in me has certainly been having a fantastic time in Rome! From that charming little pink flamingo to all the amazing street performances (ballet dancing street performers, naturally) It's just...so captivating. I think that perhaps every ballerina in the world needs a little trip to Rome!
So, what else has been happening in the glorious Roman sun? Today’s my ballet day (Wednesday, right?) and you’ll never believe what I did this morning! It’s not every day that you stumble upon a class… in an ancient Roman building! Talk about a truly unique ballet class,
The Roman Ballet School is in one of these amazing historic buildings - with frescoes and incredible vaulted ceilings and I am certain the only building on the whole of Via Nazionale to have witnessed me execute an utterly sublime pirouette. You know the one. I nearly burst a tulle. Amazing!
Anyway, I have a feeling the pink tutu-tastic adventures are just getting started! I can’t wait to discover more of Rome. More posts to come.
Ciao from Rome,
Emma xo
