Ah Roma. A mere two days in the Eternal City may feel overwhelming, but with a little planning and staying in the center of the excitement you can experience many of the city’s iconic sites.
I visited Rome for two days to spend time with friend and talented handbag designer Alexandra de Curtis. I’ve raved about her beautiful bags many times such as here, here and here. Her elegant designs do not scratch, even after years of owning them, and I love that there’s no visible hardware on the outside so it’s easy to wear them with gold or silver jewelry. Alexandra runs her business from her home with the occasional help of her two spirited daughters, working closely with a small family-owned workshop to bring her designs to life. It was such a pleasure to visit the workshop and watch them create her signature Loren tote (a style I’ve owned for almost 2 years!) from start to finish. From hand-cutting the leather to embossing her name inside each bag. I love learning how things are made and watching the process gave me a new appreciation for the artistry and care that go into crafting her beautiful bags. (If you’ve had your eye on a bag use code “stacie15” for 15% off!)
For such a short visit I wanted to stay in the center of town and it doesn’t get more convenient than the beautiful apartment I found through OneFineStay! Their site offers a collection of insanely beautiful apartments and private properties in cities and popular countryside destinations around the world like London, Paris, Rome and New York to name a few. Each is carefully chosen for its aesthetics and their team can arrange everything from stocking your fridge to hiring a private chef. My apartment was filled with antique dressers, modern art, a wall full of books, and you could see the Pantheon from the entrance to the building – it doesn’t get more central than this! We constantly stumbled upon other iconic destinations on our walks through town including Trevi Fountain and the photogenic Piazza Navona.
Since this was my second visit (my first was in 2013 on my honeymoon) we took a slightly off the beaten track approach to our itinerary visiting many of Alexandra’s favorite spots. Read on for everything we did during my 48 hours in Roma.
Day One
- Drop your bags at a beautiful apartment in the center of town. (Get 10% off all 2020 city collection bookings through OneFineStay with code “onefinestay10stacie”!)
- Watch the sunset over St. Pauls’s Cathedral from Ponte Umberto I Bridge.
- Start the weekend with dinner at Taverna Capranica and drinks at Solotto 42. Both are a short walk from the apartment.
Day Two
- Grab an espresso at the cafe directly across the street from the apartment.
- Arrive before 9:30am and have the Pantheon all to yourself!
- Wander through Villa Borghese and the surrounding park which is considered the “Green Lung” of the city.
- Lunch at Caminetto in Viale Parioli which is Alexandra’s favorite restaurant in all of Rome and my favorite meal of the trip!
- A coffee on the terrace at Caffè delle Arti before visiting the National Art Gallery
- Vintage Shopping Les Ley, a luxury vintage boutique.
- Spanish Steps – Visit these iconic steps right before sunset when the crowds have thinned.
- Sunset Drinks at the Cielo Bar on the rooftop of Hotel de la Ville and dinner at neighboring Babette!
Day Three
- Grab an espresso at the cafe directly across the street from the apartment
- Walk over to Piazza Navona early to snap some photos of this picturesque square before it fills with admirers.
- I spent the morning touring the workshop where Alexandra makes her bags, but if this is your first time in Roma you may want to visit the Colosseum or the Vatican!
- Lunch at Il Goccetto – yum!
- Stop at Fontana dell’Acqua Paola at the top of Gianicolo Hill west of the city before heading to the airport for a final look at the Eternal City!
Thanks to Alexandra de Curtis and OneFineStay for the wonderful Italian hospitality!
xx, SF
