Posts in Travel
Postcards from Italy
 
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Oh Italy. Where do I even begin! Truthfully speaking, it's really hard for me to describe her. It was a bit of a shock to the system having spent most of my time in cold rainy London sat behind a computer screen answering phone calls and chasing up suppliers. The trip was a spontaneous one to say the least. A late night conversation with my girl over Mc Donald's led us to arranging a 10 day stay in Italy! We decided we would visit Venice, Florence and Rome.  Excited was an understatment and I was finally going to walk around the streets where my parents had first ever met! 

I already have up on the blog my Venice Photo Diary which you can still check out so I wont bore you with that. Our first stop, funnily enough was Venice. We spent a total of 2 days there before taking a train to Roma. Well what can I say, I simply adored Rome. I think Italy to me as a whole was defined by her colour pallete. Rome for me was the most colourful. Every step you took there would be a new colour to admire. Aside from Amserdam, Rome could possibly be the second city for me that fed me with inspiration (colour wise). I guess these images are a collection of how I saw Italy through my lens and what stood out to me the most. It's distressed plaster walls, detailed architecture and of course mother nature in her true beauty. 

 

home for the week 

We stayed a total of 8 days in Rome, 7 being that we spent a day in Florence. We found an amazing Airbnb for a really good price!

(I shall link the apartment here.)

Our hosts name was Lorenzo and he was super super friendly! We absolutely loved the area we were staying in. All transport links where near us with a bus stop right outside our street and a 5 min walk from the metro. The apartment itself was rather spacious with a balcony and our own private garden! (unfortunately it was too cold for us to use but it would be a bonus to have during the summer) Outside the flat, there is a courtyard with beautiful seating around a fountain. It was really picturesque especially at night. 

 

Food

 

Barnum Cafe

Via del Pellegrino, 87

Monday - Sunday 9am - 2am

Hidden within the street of Via del Pellegrino. Marble table tops & vintage vibes. I was lucky enough to find this place by accident. I very rarely put my faith into spontaneously finding a good eatery/cafe. you know that feeling when you discover the best secret in a city, but actually discover it completely by chance. It’s a rarity, but when it happens, it has to be savoured. They serve the best caffè shakerato (iced espresso) which comes in a martini glass for only 1 euro. The ambiance and superb sound track make it the coolest Italian cafe I visited.

 

Pizza Rostica Birreria

Funnily enough, this pizzeria was yet another spontaneous find. Having finished visiting Trevi fountain we took to explore through the roads of Rome and we came across this place. Honestly if you don't visit it while you are in Rome then you seriously are missing out! I have never tasted anything like it before! They serve all sorts of different pizza flavours and pastries. do try the spinach and cheese one! My friend and i would find ourselves having midnight cravings for it (yes its T H A T good) The tastiest pizza we tried during our stay in Rome and very reasonably priced. 

 

Gelateria La Romana

Via Venti Settembre 60

Monday - Sunday | 11am - 12am

 

Have you ever tried heaven on a cone?! Well after over a century of experience you can bet that this place has perfected the most sought-after gelato recipe in Italy. Of course it’s a secret one which shan’t ever be shared, meaning you’ll have to try one for yourself.

 

 

Places of Interest

 

Site seeing -  Fori Imperiali , Parco degli Acquedotti, Piazza Trilussa, Trastevere

Shopping -  Via Cola di Rienzo, Via Condotti, Via Veneto, Via Ottaviano

Museums -  Vatican, Capitoline, Maxxi

Flower Markets -  Campo de' Fiori

 
Granada Photo Diary
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Woaaah it's actually been a while since I spoke to you all. I'm getting really good at keeping up with my overdue posts. My apologies for that. Life as per usual has been very hectic. If you follow me on Instagram you would know that after I came back from Granada, I slipped my lower back disk and fell very ill. With dissertation due a week after my return and following that I had my last 3 final submissions towards my bachelor degree, I was unable to share with you all my Granada photo diary but here it is. Better late than never right?

With a 19 hour delay, getting kicked off my flight (thank you British Airways) and two connection flights later, I finally reached Granada, 12 midnight to be precise, welcomed by a lovely storm of heavy rain. I guess sometimes London weather just follows you wherever you go ahaha. Although I lost one day travelling, I was still determined to make the most out of my quick visit to Granada. Luckily the weather looked more promising the next day and I set off to visit Alhambra (the red one) which I had booked a ticket for in advance. My dissertation was based around the perception of phenomena through the language of water and what better building to use an example for this than this beautiful monument.

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Alhambra is probably one of my favourite monuments in the world. Although I have been lucky enough to once visit this building in my teens, I decided a re-visit was needed to refresh my memory and gain some primary research for my essay. If you have never visited Granada, then I honestly think you should consider placing it on your bucket list. It is one of the most picturesque cities that I have been too, with its mixture of Islamic architecture and modern European influences, its very hard not to take pictures of everything you see!

I stayed at the Hotel Universal which was based in the city centre. Its location was great as everything was near by and Alhambra was only a 10 minute drive away that only cost €5 by taxi! Food and travel was very inexpensive. There is a selection of cuisines in the area ranging from your traditional tapas to Moroccan and Lebanese dishes. As for public transport, I jumped on a Granada Tours bus which was €8 and you're able to hop on and off wherever you wanted. The great thing was the ticket would last you a whole day so you actually do get your moneys worth. If you're like me and you enjoy discovering the cities hidden gems, then you can always just opt for walking around the city as it is fairly small.

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Although I had only spent a day in Granada, it is needless to say it has left a place in my heart and I have grown very fond of this city.

As I no longer have uni to stress about, more frequent posts will be up in the upcoming weeks so keep a look out for those!

Hope you're all having a great day

Stay Gold 

Amni x