Possibly our most (ancient) cultured team trip to date, the Petal & Feast gang were in Rome this time last year. We were only away for a few days but we really packed it in.

January is much easier to soldier through if there’s a lovely trip planned for the end. To cheer ourselves up this year, as the frost creeps across the ground, we’re having a look back through the pictures.

We stayed in lovely Bohemian Trastavere, full of cobbled lanes and Fountained squares, a lovely morning market stuffed with Oranges and the prettiest pink speckled lettuce. Another prizewinning AirBnB – high molded ceilings, parquet flooring and a balcony. 

The slanting January light was gorgeous, the weather not-too-cold. We happily wandered about looking, stopping often for a croissant & coffee here, Pistachio ice cream there, a little cannoli, a Suppli or two.

The churches were filled with marble, gold and paintings by old masters.

Charlie really liked the secret underground churches beneath churches, sprinkled with the odd human bone. They dated back to the earliest incarnations of Christianity and were proper, proper old.

Hannah was in her element with a brilliant tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum – she loves a tour and our guide was great. He swung his umbrella about like a sword, knew where all the different marble came from and showed us ancient Roman graffiti willies. 

Sparrow’s flocked around the tables outside all the bakeries in little clouds, and Amber was ecstatic when she fed one from her hand. Sarah booted an old lady that tried to steal her phone from her pocket.

We sipped wine in the chilly air at night time, trying to find the tables with good fairy lights and heaters. We ticked dishes off a list of things to eat in Rome (special mention to ‘Trapizzino’ where we grazed on ‘pizza pockets’ – according to them the ‘most loved Roman street food).

The Pantheon left us in awe, it’s actually, properly awesome, (Raphael’s grave is there with the most fantastic inscription “Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would die“). We got told off for eating ice creams next to the Trevi Fountain. We must have walked a billion steps. 

Take us back!