Where do you dream of honeymooning? If you hadn’t considered Italy then you must must must add it to your list. Within 2 hours you’ll be in one of the most romantic countries of the world. Italy has a bit of everything, incredible food and wine, beaches, countryside, a lot of culture and old cities to wander, gelato in hand. SYGM went on a whistle-stop tour of Italy last week with Mr & Mrs Smith to fill you in on some of the hottest places to honeymoon out there. It was such an incredible and magical week. Our first stop was Rome and a stay at Casacau.
Rome had always been on my list to visit. The capital of Italy and home to the Colosseum, Rome contains as many perfect backdrops for romance as it does gelato shops and ancient ruins. I hadn’t realised quite how much I’d love it until we got there and discovered all the cobbled, ancient streets and felt like we were walking through one huge open air museum. Before I go on too much about the city, for any good trip, you need somewhere lovely to stay. And who else to turn to but Mr & Mrs Smith?? I’ve used Smith Hotels for years and one of the things I love most about them is having a curated list of boutique, luxury accommodation that you know you can trust. Every property is hand picked and reviewed with expert tips such as what to pack and which room to choose. They have high standards as do I and it saves me hours of research trawling through TripAdvisor/numerous booking sites. There are eleven Smith properties in Rome but we loved, and stayed at, Casacau.
Cascau is a cross between a boutique hotel and apartments, giving you the best of both worlds. There are six one bedroom apartments with mini kitchens that are housed in a 17th century building literally steps away from the famous Trevi fountains right in the centre of Rome. As you step through the big wooden door you instantly lose all the city hustle and bustle and step into calm. All the apartments have been individually designed with some quirky touches like vintage typewriters or designer light fittings alongside the white washed beams on the ceiling. As well as the old, you get the benefits of the new. Each room gets an iPad to use for your stay with maps and Rome guides preloaded onto it. At check in we were also given some favourite picks for the city which we appreciated. It’s hard to choose which apartment to stay in as they all have their individual charms. We stayed in Apartment 3 which has it’s own sauna {which was amazing for relaxing in after a busy day walking all over the city} and they all have mini terraced balconies for a bit of fresh air. You’ll get a lot more space than you’d get in a hotel and having the kitchen which is stocked with supplies for you to cook with if you feel the urge is a great option with all the fresh produce the city has to offer. Perhaps my favourite part was having breakfast in bed each morning. When you wake up, you’ll find a bag left on the outside of your door with a little wicker basket which is filled with the most delicious pastries filled with chocolate, custard and jam. We quickly discovered how it’s the Italians who make the best croissants and not the French! There was fresh yogurt and fruit in our mini fridge so we had a feast each morning. The location was perfect too for walking the city and there are pizzerias, trattorias and gelaterias right outside your door.
Fuelled up from a yummy breakfast, it was time to explore Rome.
The roses, and most of the flowers in Italy, were at their peak and most Italians said that the end of May is the best time to visit. There were oranges and lemons hanging off the trees and scented jasmine covering walls.
Before our trip I’d researched the ‘best pizza in Rome, the best gelato’ etc etc and marked a few restaurants on the map. Li Rioni was a name that kept coming up and it was fairly near the Colosseum so I’d emailed ahead and booked a table. Most pizza restaurants only open from 7pm as it’s the time they start their wood ovens. It was about 5pm at this stage and we were starving and tired from getting up so early with the travelling. So we decided to go to sacrifice Li Rioni and eat at a restaurant nearby that was open instead. It was still amazing, I think in Rome unless you go somewhere really touristy you’d be hard pushed to find a bad pizza!
After walking so much we were starving and ordered two big pizzas to share. The fiori di zucchini {courgette flowers} was a favourite.
As the sun began to set, we wandered back down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, one of the most impressive streets in Rome and marvelled at it all with light from the magic hour. There were guys playing live music which echoed across the street and it just felt like one of those evenings you’d remember for a long time.
I loved this building covered in ivy. And see those pillars? It’s all just soo old and crumbly with something to see around every corner.
We crossed the bridge and then saw a huge church at the end of an impressive street. Naively we walked along it and then realised ‘OMG that’s the Vatican’! It had seemed so far away on the map that we’d decided not to walk over that way but without even realising the city was smaller than we thought.
Grom was first on our list that afternoon, it’s known for some of the best gelato and has branches all across Italy. It was the first of many Grom visits that week. The shop we went to was right in the heart of the Italian parliament and we laughed as serious city guys in suits went in for a post lunch gelato. You don’t really see that in London. We found that week that Italians of alll ages seriously love their gelato.
Next up, Tuscany and Florence for some R&R! {romance and relaxation for you honeymooners}
You can find the website for Casacau here.
And more Smith hotels in Italy here.
R <3 xx
p.s. Have you been to Rome? Or is it on your list? I can’t believe it’s only 2 hours away!
{I was a guest of Smith Hotels and Casacau but you know that I’d never ever promote something which I didn’t love. I’ve used Mr & Mrs Smith for years}.
