While some people want nothing more than to spread out on white sand with a good book and a cocktail for their honeymoon, there are others that can’t stand the thought. If you are one of the latter group who would rather use precious vacation time (honeymoon or no honeymoon) to be out exploring new sights, new cultures and new food, then Rome may be just the honeymoon destination for you. And why shouldn’t it be? The Hollywood and magazine image of a honeymoon may be The Seychelles but really it should just be an opportunity to indulge yourself, a chance to visit a place that you have always wanted to see. If that’s the Colosseum and The Sistine Chapel for you, well then why shouldn’t you have a city-break honeymoon?
There are some honeymoon house rules that you should obey though, even if you have chosen a city over a beach. Principle among them is to go the extra mile and pay the extra dollar to make your trip as close to perfection as possible. Days in Rome can be exhausting, what with all that sightseeing and carb consumption, so it is important to find the perfect Rome accommodation to come home to. Accommodation in Rome is notoriously expensive and often quite loud so spend some time shopping around, checking out guidebooks and reading TripAdvisor reviews. What you’re looking for is a decent room size in a good location with a little bit of luxury – preferably somewhere not on a main thoroughfare so that it is a little quieter at night. For example, Villa Spalletti Trivelli is highly rated on TripAdvisor for its luxury suites and central location. Portrait Suites on the other hand, rates just below and although rooms don’t look particularly romantic, the roof deck certainly does.
Something old and something new
Another house rule that should be obeyed rigidly during any city-based honeymoon, is to take your time. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you certainly won’t see it in a day. In fact, you won’t see it in a month so promise yourself now that you won’t try. Before you go, pick out a handful of sights that you cannot leave without seeing, for most people this will include The Colosseum, The Roman Forum and The Vatican, then organize those well ahead of time. Try to get skip the line access tours so that you won’t waste precious honeymooning time queuing and then set aside the rest of your time for exploring. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Rome more than anything else is a city to be explored. There is so much history in every piazza and crumbling old building that even the shortest of strolls will always reap rewards. For the major points of interest consider taking a general walking tour of the city on your first day to get your bearings (maybe one like our Best of Rome walking tour). Dark Rome also runs a variety of skip the line access tours of The Colosseum and The Vatican.
For an added dash of romance consider taking a side-trip up to Florence as part of your Rome honeymoon. The major sites in Florence are inherently romantic – climbing to the top of il Duomo to gaze over the hills of Tuscany, marveling at the steely thighs of Michelangelo’s David and window shopping in ancient jewelry stores on the Ponte Vecchio (all of which you can do on one of our skip the line access tours). And once you have ticked off your Florence bucket list, the city is a wonderfully relaxed place to take some down time after the chaos of Rome. Sip coffee in a café terrace that spills onto a gently bustling piazza or just take an afternoon stroll along the river. Florence has that wonderful balance of must-see attractions and only-if-your-bothered attractions which means that after you see whatever tickles your fancy, you can have a few guilt-free lazy days without wondering what you are missing out on.
Florence has a rare balance of activity and inactivity
The last honeymoon house rule worth following is this: your honeymoon should be indulgent, almost recklessly so. So put away that calorie counter, tick off the sights and spend some quality time in Italy’s many food and wine establishments. Grab coffee and a pastry in a piazza café for breakfast, take a picnic to the top of a hill for lunch, dine al fresco in a classy trattoria for dinner and drop into a wine bar on your way home. Get value from your trip by eating whatever, whenever and wherever you can – whether it’s huge scoops of fresh gelato eaten at a fountain in Rome or a (surprisingly) delicious tripe sandwich eaten standing up at a cart in Florence. This is your honeymoon – hopefully your one and only – so sit back, relax and enjoy!