France & Italy With Trafalgar Tours: Day 6 (Part 5)

January 20, 2012

Despite having a five hour bus ride to Rome ahead of me, I had butterflies in my stomach — if my unforgettable Trafalgar Tours trip needed to come to an end anywhere — I could not think of a better place.  During the long drive an enormous full moon, which turned the sky a gorgeous shade of pink, kept me company.

Rome, Italy

Upon arrival into the Eternal City, we immediately checked into the Kolbe Hotel, a stunning 15th Century luxury hotel, with the the Roman Forum in its backyard.  Unfortunately, I would not be able to truly enjoy my two-level suite, as I had to be at the airport at 4AM for my flight back to the States, however when I return to Rome in the future I will definitely be staying there again.  Before our farewell dinner, we stopped at one of the most famous landmarks in the world: the Colosseum.

Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

Dinner could not have been at a better restaurant, The Cabiria, located in the Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora, and Chef Luigi Sorrentino could not have created a more memorable last meal in Europe; even the table setting had creative touches!

Rome, Italy

The culinary journey began with fresh cherry tomato focaccia.

Rome, Italy

Our next course was rigatoni pasta “Amatriciana style.”

Rome, Italy

Our final course was a white fish with natural green beans and fried potatoes.

Rome, Italy

And to complete the meal, we had a delicious fruit tart with vanilla ice cream.

Rome, Italy

Our Travel Director Marco thought it was essential that we see Rome illuminated at night, thus we made two important last stops.  The first was to St. Peters Basilica, where the Pope just so happened to be that evening.

Rome, Italy

The second was to the Roman Forum, which as previously mentioned was conveniently next to our hotel.

Rome, Italy

As I was finishing packing, I was overwhelmed with the thought that I always have when traveling: life should be about exploring the unknown and embracing the joy of new experiences and relationships in other places.  We must begin the expedition and follow wherever the path leads.  And I highly recommend allowing Trafalgar Tours to lead the way from time to time.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Related Posts

66 thoughts on “France & Italy With Trafalgar Tours: Day 6 (Part 5)”

  3. Fidel @IHarTravel

    Ahhh, kind of disappointed that this is the last installment of the Trafalgar Italy Tour posts. I’ve been loving these, especially your food photographs.
    The only disappointment I had about the Colosseum was that it was right smack in front of the metro station. The second you leave the metro station, bam! It’s right there in front of you. Sometimes I want to have that anticipation build up, see it from a distance you know. But alas, it’s still quite the site to see, especially illuminated at night.
    I love how delicious your fruit tart looks.

    Reply ↓
    1. Andi Perullo Post author

      I’m disappointed that my posts are over as well. Oh well, I will definitely be going to Europe again in the future and I very much hope to work with Trafalgar again, what an awesome company!!! I feel like the Colosseum during the day is SUCH a touristy spot (though of course a must see), but at night the energy completely shifts. That fruit tart was SO good, I finished every bite.

      Reply ↓
  5. Jennifer Shivers

    The pictures of Rome are amazing. What a trip this was! Can’t wait to read about your next adventure! Miss you! 🙂

    Reply ↓
  7. Manda

    Aw the posts for Italy have come to an end.
    Its been great to see what parts of the experience with Trafalgar you loved the most.
    Your pics of Rome are amazing, as all you pics always are!!
    Cant wait to read about Chi Town next xo

    Reply ↓

  10. Pingback: France & Italy With Trafalgar Tours: Day 6 (Part 5) | iWannaGo Travel Network

  11. Annie

    Isn’t the Colosseum absolutely stunning? It is to this day one of my favorite sights in the world. It is amazing that ancient history can sit so nonchalantly alongside modern day Rome. Beautiful!

    Reply ↓
    1. Andi Perullo Post author

      It really is stunning, but even more so at night in my opinion. I remember visiting Rome when I was 17 and I couldn’t get over the fact that you could sit down at a cafe and right down the street was the Colosseum for you to enjoy!!!

      Reply ↓
  15. Laura

    Aw man this totally brings me back to our night time wanderings through Rome. The lowlight shots look great. Rome is so photogenic at night. I ate quite a few Amatriciana dishes there as well!

    Reply ↓
  16. Megan M.

    What great photos!! I love that your last thought, “I life should be about exploring the unknown and embracing the joy of new experiences and relationships in other places.” We start our RTW this year and I can’t wait to embrace all of those experiences!!

    Reply ↓
    1. Andi Perullo Post author

      Wasn’t that moon spectacular! I wish that I had been able to take pics outside of the bus of it with a zoom!!! It was SUCH an adventure — one I will NEVER forget!

      Reply ↓
  27. Katie

    I really enjoyed this series of posts, Andi. The photos have been absolutely stunning, and this final post literally left my mouth watering.

    Reply ↓

  31. Pingback: Sarah

  33. Ceri

    I’m so glad you had a wonderful time on this trip, Andi. That last meal looked absolutely delicious.

    I do hope to see more of Europe one day. 🙂

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *