When in Rome...

I’m addicted to researching holidays and as we’ve had 2 months worth of rain in 5 days, it’s inevitable that my mind is going to wander onto ideas of hotter climates and foreign jaunts.  I had originally planned to do a mini travel guide every month, but I have been getting far too carried away with everything London has to offer us! Still, I thought it was better late than never!

My first travel guide is going to focus on Rome; the McWhinney’s have a bit of Italy fever so it is somewhere which I have gone to, at least once every 2 years, for the last 18 years.  It’s the perfect destination for a short city break; not too far, delicious food, amazing sights and culture, dishy men (and women!), lovely people and the best ice cream in the world – what more could you ask for?!  I thought I’d share my pick of the best places to stay, eat and see in Rome without spending the big bucks.

Best place to Stay: Blue Hostel

Don’t let the name put you off, this is by no means a hostel.  Housed in a 17^th Century house, the pristine, well-decorated rooms (all with en-suite) are an absolute bargain at €60 a night in April for a double room.  Situated between Termini Station and the Colosseum, the hostel is not in the most central location but is still walking distance from all the sites - (the best way to see Rome is by walking.)  The owner, Ercole, meets your from Termini train station and gives you a map, on which he marks his recommendations of great restaurants and places to have a nice bevy.  He’s also on hand 24/7 in case something goes wrong.  All in all, it’s a perfect option for staying in Rome - pristine, friendly and affordable!

How to get there:

Easyjet are always having sales with flights from London to Rome, so keep an eye out.  Once arriving at the airport, the best way to get into the city centre is by train to Roma Termini.  Tickets are much cheaper than getting a taxi and the Italian train services are very reliable.

Where to Eat:

Rome is saturated with places to eat and drink, but with so many picturesque tourist spots, it’s easy to choose a restaurant where you’ll be ripped off and be missing out on the delicious food that smaller, less well known restaurants have to offer.  Particularly notorious tourist traps are the restaurants around the Pantheon and on the beautiful Piazza Navona (I found bugs in my salad there!).

A trendy, up-and-coming area of Rome is the cobbled streets of Trastevere where two of my restaurant picks are located:

-       Da Enzo is genuinely Italian...except without the friendly people.  Don’t expect niceties and smiles; it’s all about the food.  The first time we tried to eat here, the place was rammed and we were briskly turned away, so I would suggest going for an early or late dinner (although not too late – you don’t want to piss them off even more!)  It’s delicious and cheap, so try it out.

-       Augusto is cut from the same cloth.  With queues snaking out of the door every single night, the meal can sometimes feel a bit rushed.  With a limited choice of one pasta dish, one risotto and one meat, the menu is about quality not quantity and it can all be washed down with a nice big carafe off their delicious (and cheap!) house wine.  This is one of my absolute favourites, so don’t miss it!

Although I have warned against eating at busy tourist attractions, there are some excellent alternatives nearby.  Near Piazza Navona are:

-       Cul de Sac, a very popular wine bar, with a wine selection as long as your arm!  You can also eat here, and the food looked delicious but was quite pricey, so I would recommend coming here for delicious drinks only.

-       Ristorante Maccheroni – we loved the carbonara and gnocchi here so much, that we tried to go back for a second helping on our last day (unfortunately it was shut).  This pick is a little bit more expensive than my other suggestions, but still won’t break the bank and their carbonara is not to be missed!

Where to get the best ice cream:

Without a doubt, Giolitti, not only has a fantastic name, but also dishes out the best ice cream in town to native Italians and tourists alike.  Situated round the corner from the Pantheon, be sure to expect substantial queues.  However, the jokey staff makes the queuing enjoyable and you’re often grateful to have enough time to do your ‘ip-dip-doos’ before having choosing your ice cream flavours.

The Roman highlights for me are:

- The Trevi Fountain - every wish I’ve made there has come true!

- The Spanish Steps – a great place to people watch and take a breather from shopping while soaking up the sun

- The Pantheon – amazing architecturally and a good place to cool down and enjoy a cheeky ice cream.

- The Colosseum and Forum – expect queues but it is a must-see – at least once!

- Vittorio Emanuele Monument– climb up to the top to get the best views across Rome

- The Vatican – if you fancy getting a sneak peek of the Pope, he often does public addresses before cruising around in his Pope Mobile, so research before you go.

- Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo – great atmosphere with street artists and musicians.

So there we have it – my pick of Rome’s best bits.  I’m always eager to try new places, so if anyone has any other recommendations, let me know and I’ll try them in the Summer!

Sundance comes to Blighty!

I am excited!  For the first time ever, the Sundance Film Festival is crossing the Atlantic to showcase the crème de la crème of Sundance's selection of American and international independent films in a four-day jamboree of film and music at the O2 arena!  The Sundance London festival kicked off today and lasts until Sunday (26th-29th April) and with about 14 screenings a day, there is plenty of films to cater for all tastes.  Robert Redford, founder of Sundance, commented that he felt this year was the best year yet for Sundance talent.  Although many screenings and panel discussions have sold out, there are still some really exciting events up for grabs, so take a look.

Although the ticket's aren't super pricey to begin with, Guardian Extra are offering 2 tickets for £15 for selected screenings so there's really no excuse to miss out!  I'm off to see Lena Dunham's (director of Tiny Furniture) second film, Nobody Walks, at the weekend, so I'll let you all know how it is!

In addition to film screenings galore, there's the chance to meet the filmmakers, grab some food and catch live music performances from Tricky, Placebo and Rufus and Martha Wainwright - it all feels so glamorous!

Mildreds!

When you've had a long morning of shopping with the crowds on Oxford street, your feet are aching, your shopping bags are weighing you down and your purse is feeling considerably lighter, there's nothing like a pick-me-up Mildreds lunch to get you back on track!

My sister first introduced me to this place - and it has literally revolutionised my shopping life. 

This great vegetarian restaurant always has friendly staff and amazing food.  They get super busy so it is best to go for lunch either early or late in the day, to avoid disappointment.  The sweet potato and cashew nut curry is deelish, especially when washed down with their tasty wild elderflower bubbly! It often leaves me too full for a proper dinner so is definitely worth the pennies!  All in all, Mildreds is well worth a visit - even if you're a meat lover, the food is substantial enough to fulfill any appetite!

They also have a blog where they share some of their recipes so check it out!

Emu Rave!

The easiest Carbonara in the world!

This is seriously the easiest dinner ever!  Thanks to a pot of Philly - It only takes 25 minutes, uses very few ingredients and is a seriously tasty mid-week dins.  Although it doesn't taste as if it is fresh out of Italy, it's a pretty good cheat.  This bad boy serves 6, so give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

- Spaghetti 

- 6 rashers bacon cut into strips

- 180g Philadelphia Light 

- 2 egg yolks 

- 3 stalks flat parsley leaves, chopped 

- 300 ml veggy stock 

- Parmesan cheese to serve 

Method:

1. Cook the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, fry bacon strips in a large pan and simmer with vegetable stock until the liquid has reduced by half.
3. Beat together the Philly and egg yolks in a bowl or mug.  
4. Drain the cooked pasta, and return to pan.  Add bacon bits and stir through the egg and Philly mixture until well blended.  (The heat from the pan will cook the eggs enough.)
5. Serve with a generous helping of Parmesan and parsley and hey presto!

Marilyn

Getty Images

You only need to say ‘Marilyn’, and the world immediately knows exactly who you’re talking about.  We’ve all seen a million photos of Marilyn Monroe, from her iconic breezy white dress picture, to more sincere, sadder shots.  This month, Getty Images is providing us with more insight into the Hollywood star’s successes and downfalls through an exhibition commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the iconic beauty’s untimely death.  In addition to photos capturing intimate moments and behind the scenes video footage of the star, the exhibition displays David Gainsborough Roberts’ collections of original dresses and costumes worn by Marilyn. 

It’s free and finishes on 23^rd May, so there’s no excuse to miss out on seeing unique pics of the best blonde bombshell the world has ever seen.

Easter Saturday Frivolities!

The Easter long weekend is upon us (hooray!) and there's plenty going on in and around London to keep us entertained.

Easter Saturday (7th April) brings us the old Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race, which can mean only one thing...(drum roll please) - it's the Oxford versus Cambridge GOAT race too!!!  Spitalfields City Farm is hosting the annual race between two goats, one named Oxford, and the other named Cambridge.  Dressed in little outfits (light blue and dark blue of course), they run as fast as their little legs will carry them around the farm.  In addition to goat themed market stalls and goat themed entertainment (who knows what that involves?!), there's an official bookie and sweepstake!  So place your bets boys and girls, because it's set to be goatally awesome!

Street Art!

My new favourite activity is 'StumbleUpon' - an amazing service which allows you to select your interests before it provides specific websites that you may like, based on your choices.  If it comes up with a site you particularly like or dislike, you can simply record it and move onto another hidden gem in the multitude of sites on the world wide web.

One of these gems was this Street Art site.  With everything ranging from funny, fantastical and politically ironic, this site shows off the crème de la crème of Street Art around the world.  Here are a selection of my favourites from the site but check it out for yourself!