As the sun rises on Sunday, vendors from all over the local area set up stall in Porta Portese Flea Market, which is in the Trastevere area of Rome. It is a place where bargains can be found and when visiting Rome this is an excellent way to sample the local culture first hand. This flea market sells everything you can possibly imagine. It has a beautiful antique section, selling brash brass and noisy clocks. You can find 18th century paintings, capturing local imagery from times that have long gone by. There is something distinctly Italian about the whole experience. You can see the passion and determination in the eyes of the vendors. Clothes are for sale everywhere. The smell of Italian leather washes over you as you make your way through alleys of colourful bargains. This is an ideal place to buy gifts for loved ones whilst staying in Rome. A word of warning here. Whilst the The Porta Portese Flea Market is generally a safe place to be, pick pockets work on Sunday’s too, so it is our recommendation that you keep your valuable possessions in a safe place at all times. So hold on tightly to your ...

The Piazza Navona is a very popular area for families to visit, especially if you are travelling with children as there are several toy stores in this area. You will be able to find all sorts of toys from stuffed animals to miniature Italian sports cars and unique wind up toys. The kids will surely appreciate coming home to your Rome holiday rental and playing with their new toys! 1. Al Sogno (Piazza Navona, 53) – The name Al Sogno literally means “In a Dream” and this cosy little store definitely lives up to its name. Although the store is a bit small, people seldom notice this because of the large number of interesting toys that line its shelves. 2. Città del Sole (Via Della Scrofa, 65) – This shop is one of the most popular toy stores in all of Rome and is known to sell both toys and children’s books. Città del Sole’s extensive selection of European toys is sure to be particularly appealing to young children; the store is also popular with older children and even adults, as it has a good collection of puzzles, gadgets, games and educational toys. 3. Bertè (Piazza Navona 108) – ...

Should I could return to Rome tomorrow, I hope I would do all the things I glimpsed the first time round but was to busy being a ‘tourist’ to appreciate, or experience. Sure, I can say I’ve marvelled at the Coliseum. I’ve stared up into the oculus of the Pantheon, posed on the Spanish Steps and got sunburnt standing in a queue for the Vatican. I’ve got the pictures. But I haven’t really got Rome. For starters, I would have to slow myself down by a margin of about 50%. For all the hustle and bustle of Roman streets, no one is really hurrying. The Italians are adept at a certain type of contained energy that looks like a lot’s happening when really all that’s being discussed is where the next ristretto is coming from. If I am to learn to enjoy laid back Rome, I’m going to have to go native. To which end, after an early start wondering at the sights and smells of the Campo Fiori, buying string bags heavy with luscious lemons and oranges, their skin still dusty with that morning’s bloom, I would have coffee at Sant’Eustachio and fight my way to the counter to stand among ...

To my young and naive self, Venice epitomised romance. Gondoliers singing romantic songs in the sunset, candlelit dinners at the side of the sparkling canals, bohemian artists, musicians and writers, pretty little streets; so much to delight the senses. I could barely contain my excitement when my husband announced that we were off to Venice. The day finally dawned, visions of the romantic time ahead of us swimming around my head, my newly practised Italian rolling off my tongue – well I could ask for a table for two, order a drink and say please and thank you at least. We crammed on to the vaporetto (Venetian water bus), the cool air of the water providing a welcome breeze in the hot sun, and headed straight for St Marks Square. Venice suddenly just hit me. No other way to describe it. My senses, instantly aroused with the hustle and bustle, street musicians, throngs of people, heat and most of all the smell. This wasn’t the romantic notion I had nurtured all these years. In my romantic dreams the canals were sparkling blue and not at all smelly, there weren’t hordes of tourists, there weren’t pigeons ...

My husband and I spent the last two days of our honeymoon in Florence. It’s such a short time to explore a world-class city, yet I knew I couldn’t face a frantic rush from museum to museum after our quiet week in the small Tuscan town of Volterra. “Let’s see the cathedral,” I said. “And then let’s just…explore.” Without the pressure to cram all of Florence’s cultural experiences into a weekend, we were able to simply walk around and get a feel (but mostly a taste) for the city. We came across a street market and sampled Parmesan cheese. We found Florence’s only kosher vegetarian restaurant and had falafels with beer for lunch. We drank house wine that tasted like should have cost more and ate pizzas that could have fed an entire family. We sipped steaming hot espressos and licked melty gelato. “I’m married now,” I said to my new husband as I finished the cone. “So I figure I can let myself go.” Art is everywhere in Florence. We didn’t go to the famous Uffizi Gallery, but we did wander through the Piazza della Signoria, an open-air museum full of marble sculptures. It was buzzing with eager tourists, so we ...

People say that Paris in spring time is for lovers. Well, that may be the case, but in my mind Italy is the place where you go when your love is wishing to express itself all year round and in any season with the partner you love. Rome is the ideal setting for couples who are wishing to enjoy the radiance of a city that is packed with interesting sights to see, beautiful food to awaken the senses and the sound of Italians enjoying life. Ancient moments and wondrous churches lead you past street cafes and Italian Piazza’s where the invite to break now and again for a gelato or a Cappuccino is irresistible. All is set against the back drop of a blue sky with bright sunshine that filters though through the roof tops. It is no wonder the love that was once ignited in those early days of romance is re-kindled and brought back to life once more. At the Trevi fountain, you throw three coins in the fountain and wish again. The cobbled lanes lead you from there to the Spanish steps, taking you up in the heat, like a stairway to heaven. ...

The summer I turned 16, I spent three weeks studying English in the south coast of England. Of course studying was really just an excuse for the other activities like finding a summer romance. Mine was Italian, and incidentally, he was from Venice. After the course finished, I returned to my native Finland and to the normal life of a small town teenager. Summer generated boredom with long, jobless days, broken by the embarrassingly romantic texts my Italian boy was sending me. The boys I was used to hanging out with wouldn’t be caught dead saying the things he said. Ultimately what he says is: Why don’t you come to Venice for a holiday? I decided to go with a friend, because while I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to see this boy, I knew that I wanted to see Venice. Upon our arrival in Milan we caught a night train to Venice and slept in a small cabin until morning. When it turned light but foggy outside, we arrived in Venice. Stepping out of the railway station at 6am is nothing short of breathtaking. Just seconds earlier, I was inside a railway station. And then… well then ...

Two years ago and again during summer last year, my boyfriend Dominic and I travelled to Rome. It was my first holiday in about 10 years but for Dominic, he regularly goes as his uncle and aunt - Eugiene and Katia - live there. For as long as I have loved art, I have wished to see the Sistine Chapel and in Rome I had the chance! What a holiday! That was made all the more affordable (thank goodness) by the fact that we have family there. Saying that though, renting an apartment for a week or so is a good way of staying in Rome. As there is so much to see, I think having a base where you can completely relax is preferable. You can make packed lunches and your own meals, which saves some money. Not that the food is expensive or anything. It is reasonable and delicious in most restaurants. As the flight took over two 2 hours to reach Rome we caught one at about 6am – which gave us a whole day at our disposal as soon as we arrived. So an early night and plenty of sleep was on the cards, especially as Dominic ...

An important festival on the Rome events calendar, the Festa di Noantri in Trastevere, is a religious celebration that dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. It is held in celebration of the Lady of Mount Carmel and takes place on the first Saturday after July 16th every year. On the day of the festival, a richly dressed statue of the Virgin Mary is taken in a procession through the streets around the Church of Saint Agatha and on towards the Basilica of San Crisogono. The statue is an ancient one, supposedly discovered in the Tiber in 1535. She was donated to the Carmelites at Crisogono, where she became the patron saint of Trastevere. In 1890 she was moved to another local church, Saint Agatha. The return procession includes a journey across the Tiber, to commemorate the site of discovery of the image. The statue is taken in a boat from near Villa Giulia to Ponte San Angelo, where more people join the procession; to move towards the Ponte Sisto, Isola Tiberina and from thereon to Trastevere’s most important church, Santa Maria. The statue is then brought back to its home in the Church of Saint Agatha, on ...

I would return to Rome, the city of romance, because there just isn’t enough time to see and do everything in one long weekend. I see Rome as a giant pizza that you keep taking a bite out of now and again. It is so diverse that you could visit a dozen times and do and see something different every time. Rome is not the ‘sit on a bus’ type of sight seeing city – you have to like walking. It is also best if you buy a good Rome guidebook and plan your journey each day. All you need to know