Client Blog: Maria and Ian’s fantastic week in Rome

Maria and Ian’s week in Rome - with some brilliant day trips along the way - was planned around a very special concert, and I’m so happy to hear it was everything they hoped for…

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We’re just back from an unforgettable seven nights in Italy, and while our feet may never forgive us for walking at least six miles a day, every single step was worth it.

The main reason for our trip was to see Ed Sheeran in Rome and wow, what an experience! He sang non-stop for three hours, and the atmosphere was electric.

We hopped on a bus from the Vatican for just €1.50 to get there and then walked over three miles back to our hotel at midnight. It was one of those bucket-list moments we’ll never forget.

In between, Amanda helped us pack so much into the week. On our first full day we joined a guided Vatican tour - skip-the-queue tickets are a must as they saved us hours of waiting - and standing inside the Sistine Chapel was just incredible.

She also arranged some brilliant day trips for us. Pompeii was absolutely fascinating - a place everyone should see once.

And Sorrento was so beautiful. Yes, it was a long coach ride, but so worth it to see a different side of Italy beyond Rome.

Another highlight was our high-speed train trip to Florence. It was so quick and easy, and the Duomo was simply stunning. The outside took our breath away with its detail and colour, while the inside - surprisingly plain – was just as fascinating in a completely different way.

Back in Rome, we made the most of a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to explore the city, and later in the week joined a small-group tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. These tours really helped us get so much more out of the history around us.

We stayed at the Hotel Nazionale, right in Parliament Square. The location was fantastic - we could walk everywhere - and the hotel itself was lovely, with a great breakfast each morning to set us up for the day. Nothing was ever just “around the corner”, which meant we earned every single one of those daily steps exploring the city!

There were some protests happening nearby during our stay, so security was tight, but the police were really friendly. We just had to show proof that we were hotel guests and then we could access the square with no problem.

A huge thank you to Amanda for all her help and advice. From the brilliant itinerary to the little tips she gave us before we went - it made such a difference. We loved every minute and came home with tired feet, full hearts and so many wonderful memories.

Maria & Ian 😘😘