Getting from Ischia to Rome was way easier than Switzerland to Ischia. We took the train and luckily it was pretty seamless!
Rome was a lot of sightseeing, walking, and eating. Also, more shopping. Here’s everything we did in my three days there.
Roman Mosaic Class
This was a highlight. We wanted to do something creative and connected to the culture, so we booked a class with Nadia Ridolfini of Aegea Mosaici. She taught us about Roman mosaic techniques, focusing on the indirect method.
We started by choosing our colors, then used traditional hand tools to cut marble pieces into shape. We laid out our designs face down on a flat surface, then applied glue and mortar from the back. Once it set, we flipped it over to reveal a smooth, finished design - mirrored from how we originally placed it.
Nadia was a great teacher!! and it was so nice spending the afternoon in a Roman art studio. After the class, we started noticing mosaic work all over the city and had a much deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship.
Rome Shopping
Lione Limentani
Going here was one of my top priorities. I found Lione Limentani through an Italian TikToker I follow, but it’s also a well-known spot with a long history in Rome. The store has been around since 1820 and is still run by the Limentani family. It’s located in the Jewish Ghetto and known for its extensive selection of glassware and luxury tableware pieces.
The warehouse in Rome carries overstock and discontinued items from high-end brands. I bought a set of lowball glasses that were originally custom ordered for Hermès, and they felt like the perfect glass for our weekend tequilas.
I also walked away with an espresso cup that I fell in love with from a super high end brand, Ginori 1735. Their stuff is EXPENSIVE. All I could afford was one espresso cup with the discount at Limentani. But it was a great souvenir for my trip. The cup I got was from their recent collection titled Il Viaggio Di Nettuno, also known as Neptunes Voyage. Here’s the video of the collection. It’s SO good.
Emporio Centrale
This was a good one. Owned by an Italian designer and curated with traditionally made Italian goods, each item was labeled with the region it came from and super high quality. The owner and I ended up chatting about Joshua Tree and collecting vintage. I am keeping my eyes on their instagram as they ship to the US and their stuff is so cute.
Gran Cafe Marcel
This was another TikTok find, this place showed up in nearly every recommendation for where to find cute gifts in Rome. Marcel is an illustrator and has a small shop not far from Piazza Navona. It’s a charming little space, and he’s usually there, so you can meet the artist in person. We left with some adorable drawings and mini gifts.
Rome
Obviously, we did all the big stuff - Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, etc. but some of my favorite moments were just walking through the neighborhoods and eating good food. Top meals were Trattoria Vecchia Roma and Da Etta. Would go back to both in a heartbeat.
On our last night, we went to the Villa Borghese Gardens. I loved this place. We rented one of those chaotic four-person bike carts and rode around the park. It’s one of the largest public parks in Rome, originally designed in the 17th century as a private estate for the Borghese family. The grounds are massive and filled with sculptures, fountains, and museums.
After our bike adventure took a little rowboat around the Temple of Aesculapius, which was built in the 18th century and sits on a small lake near the center of the park. It was a fun way to end the trip, and the view was beautiful at sunset.
Notes to self
I feel really fortunate to have had this time with my sister. Ten days to step outside of everything else and just be together. As we get older, one on one time like this becomes so hard to come by. We had so much fun together making new memories and inside jokes, and I know I’ll look back and be so glad we did this.
She’s still in Rome now, studying jewelry design and going on more adventures. Excited to see what she does next and so incredibly proud of her.
And that’s it! I’m back home now and looking forward to getting back to our regular programming. Thank you so much for following along on our travels!
