06.10.2024

Rome diaries – italiane spirit everywhere

„Rome is the city of echos, the city of illusions and the city of yearning.“ Giotto di Bondone, Rome diaries

Benvenuto de Roma. Welcome to Rome, the capital of Italy. Let me take you to a little paradise where you can see a lot, eat and drink well and, most importantly, do some great shopping. Because I’m taking you with me on my annual shopping trip to Rome.

I have been flying to Rome with my mother every summer for many years. At first we were there in winter, then we switched to summer. Furthermore, at first it was always a women’s family outing. My grandma or my aunt were usually there too, but since such an extreme shopping trip in Rome can be tiring, I now only go with my mom for our Girls Rome Shopping Trip. And here I’ll tell you all the important details about it.

We always fly to Rome for a weekend from Friday to Sunday. And the most important thing is to be there during the summer sales, so my insider tip for everyone who would like to shop in Rome is to always fly there at the end of July – especially the last weekend of July. And this applies not only to large stores but also to boutiques and small shops all arround the city.

As we all know, if something is going well, you shouldn’t change it. And that also applies to our hotel: Rome Life Hotel. We have been staying at this hotel since the beginning and we are very happy about it. It is located on a parallel street to Via del Republica, one of our shopping streets in Rome. Furthermore, the hotel is very modern and you also get some benefits if you come there often. The breakfast and the staff in general are very good and that’s why I know we will come back to this hotel again and again.

Italian food is one of my favorite foods. I could eat pasta every day for the rest of my life and be the happiest girl ever. So it goes without saying that I only lived on pasta in Rome. Of course, Italian cuisine has so much more to offer, but I can’t help it. A small Aperol with my pasta and I’m completely happy.

That the Italians in Rome tend to have very late dinners, was challenging for me at firt, especially after a longe shoping day. Because they start eating afte 9 p.m. many seats are empty at the restaurants at 8 p.m., except for the tourist ones. As with the hotel, we have found our favorite restaurants over the last few years. And one of them is on the way to the Trevi Fountain. Maybe someone will recognize the clue in a photo of mine.

Our typical everyday life in Rome looks like this: have breakfast in peace and recharge your batteries. Then we go to the Vatican, because there is a great shoe store there that I love more than anything. And I’ve certainly bought at least 20 pairs of shoes there. Then on the way back we shop on Via dl Republica on the way to the hotel. Then there is a little siesta and in the afternoon we make our way to Via del Corso. The largest shopping street in Rome.

Since we’re on the move all day, jumping from one store to another, we don’t have much time to see the sights. For this reason, we love walking through Rome in the evening and just letting ourselves go. Every time we discover new places that we didn’t see last time. Rome has so much to offer that it never gets boring.

However, exactly which boutiques I go to remain a secret for the time being. All I can say is that they really do pay off. However, you have to be careful not to get ripped off. The locals in Rome are nice, but only as long as they notice you want to buy something. So take your time to look around and pay attention to the price tags. Not everything is as cheap as it is in the stores.

Some tips from me for general survival in Rome:

Buy drinking water in the supermarket
Watch your bags and valuables – backpacks are not recommended (pick pocket)
Good shoes – The streets in Rome are still ancient in many parts
Don’t forget sunscreen – there is hardly any shade in the city of Rome, so apply it
Don’t let street vendors talk to you – you won’t be able to get rid of them
Since then, Rome is beautiful, but many corners are also very dirty
During the day the sights are overcrowded with tourists, so try to come early
Bring cash – in many shops you can only pay in cash
Take the train to Rome from the airport – it’s much cheaper than a taxi