Ciao bella!
Well, my gorgeous peeps, it's Wednesday, which can only mean one thing! Yes, that's right! It's another Pink Tutu Rome adventure! Today's blog, I'm going to take you with me on a journey through the Eternal City - the City of Seven Hills, and of course, a city with the most amazing, historical architecture imaginable. A city that brings out my inner history geek - with such a rich past! I absolutely adore the sense of ancient magic in the air. And the beautiful, majestic buildings with a charm that’s quite frankly breathtaking. I can't imagine how fabulous the shows must have been here in Ancient Rome!
This trip has come to fruition by a lovely opportunity, - you’ll all be glad to hear that I secured a very prestigious ballet performance last week at the Teatro Duse in Ancona, which is another charming, Italian seaside city in the Marche region! It's known for its picturesque architecture and its history. It is such a great area for a ballet performance! I think you might agree with me, my lovelies! I hope to get back there soon for another show.
But first, I’m currently in Rome, a little bit further south, getting into the Christmas spirit. What better place to get into the mood than Rome?! The beautiful Italian architecture is simply drenched in this magical Christmas cheer. There is also this incredibly special spirit to this city during the Christmas season. I'm trying my very best to absorb every ounce of the fabulous festive atmosphere - soaking up the ambiance like a sponge. I have a great big festive-inspired outfit lined up ready for you lovely lot in my next post - watch this space. It is truly pinktacular.
Rome was our original plan before a spontaneous weekend trip to Vienna. My travel partner for this little European escapade, my dearest Chloe - also a lover of dance and all things pink! I've known Chloe since my Derby days, way back in secondary school. And let's be honest, who could possibly turn down a weekend exploring Vienna with one of your best buddies - even if it meant adjusting our Italian plans! We will of course return!
So back to the gorgeous Rome… as you can tell, I love Italy! I love it so much, that, as I write, my favourite Italian song by Italian pop superstar Tiziano Ferro - "Il Momento Giusto," "The Right Moment", is on repeat. It’s one of the things I’m looking forward to at the end of our trip - my gorgeous playlist! This song always reminds me of Rome's vibrant energy.
It's so amazing to walk around this iconic ancient city dressed in pink! Even if I am in danger of having my shoes removed for not being appropriate for a church - although a fabulous nun called Suor (Sister) Iolanda helped to save the day - I would have been completely heartbroken! She didn't understand the importance of ballet in my life - oh how she missed a once-in-a-lifetime pink tutu opportunity! We had a really good giggle and I made a new friend, as I always do, and learned another fun fact - "scarpe" is Italian for shoes! I also had to promise to buy her a beautiful Italian coffee - you see, nuns like their caffeine, too! So a quick Italian espresso from one of Rome's charming cafes was my way of making amends.
And Rome is just the most romantic city for a beautiful tutu. As it happens, we went to a magical Ballet performance last night - what else was I going to do! It's definitely my kind of Saturday night out! We enjoyed "Romeo and Juliet". We even spotted a little Romeo and Juliet scene on the way out of the theatre in the lovely Piazza Navona. Talk about magical. Of course, our tutus made an entrance, we just can't help ourselves. This time, mine was a magnificent hot pink that perfectly matched our Christmas lights on this chilly but glamorous winter night! We stopped for a cheeky selfie to capture the occasion for Instagram. This post may get me in trouble with the powers that be - I've probably offended one of my followers with the color of my choice, "I love a bit of pink but pink isn’t exactly a 'Romeo and Juliet' kind of pink", said one. That's just silly.
Today's blog focuses on another pink tutu moment in a little store I found just outside our B&B called Antica Bottega - they have the best range of fabulous shoes! Chloe, had a few too many Christmas aperol spritzes at the rooftop terrace of our B&B and insisted we go for a quick shoe-hunting session - because apparently I need another pair of pink shoes. And it only seems natural, so who am I to argue?! Especially with that Christmas cheer.
If you don't have a pink shoe-hunting routine in Rome - get yourself one now - it is one of my most loved parts of Rome! Rome has an eclectic, international and beautiful shopping scene! This is a city full of designers and independent boutiques with gorgeous collections of Italian clothes - perfect for your special outfits, as it's a lot more affordable here. I absolutely loved wandering around - my fave Italian street fashion is all about individuality, boldness, and comfort, with classic styles and a splash of flair, especially on the shoe front. It’s about having fun and confidence in your outfits! So, with that in mind, it only seemed right to give in and take on another pair of fabulous shoes. I spotted these super gorgeous ballet slippers with a sparkly design at the toe from Antica Bottega. So very, very perfect, for our dancing night out last night - even the waitress was totally into my pink and sparkly outfit. She gave us two extra glasses of prosecco and gave me a cheeky compliment "I have a pair of ballet slippers just like these back home in Puglia" she winked as we were leaving. We gave her a massive round of applause because, let’s be honest, everyone loves free fizz! We made an attempt to make a good attempt to pronounce Puglia - we are definitely not known for our Italian pronunciation! "You just say 'Poo-lia!" she giggled, as she put our extra glasses down - so cute!
There are so many cool little boutiques and stalls that are a joy to visit in the Roman historical city center - so definitely take the time to discover the beauty that Rome offers in between admiring the majestic colosseum, Pantheon, and all the Roman forum. Don't forget the Trevi fountain with it's beautiful mythical and powerful story of the Roman deity Triton - a lovely local legend tells you how the city was saved from a deadly drought with an amazing spring of water which is still flowing in the Roman Forum today, and how to make your wishes come true.
You will see plenty of these gorgeous pink delights on Pink Tutu Instagram, my Instagram stories, and the other socials.
So I hope you have enjoyed our day out in the city of seven hills. Until next time - don't forget to follow Pink Tutu Rome on our social media. I hope I’ve inspired you to rock your own pink tutu style. I think we're gonna go grab a delicious creamy Italian coffee - and yes I’ll be wearing my sparkly ballet shoes!
Love and glitter,
Emma xxx
