I’ve always dreamt of taking a trip to Italy. You know the ‘Italian dream’ of having a Fiat 500 to cruise around with, chasing after those picturesque landscapes you’ve seen in the ‘Gladiator’ movie (and on Instagram, of course!) starring Russell Crow. As my path took me to Spain for a very special occasion this June, I decided to make a mini-Eurotrip out of it – visiting as well the land of love – Italy.
First stop – Firenze to Tuscany
I had the Fiat 500 booked ahead of time with Europcar and when arriving at the Firenze Amerigo Vespucci Airport, the rental car station was only a smooth shuttle van drive away. From there, I typed into Google Maps several destinations we desired to visit before arriving at our final destination for the night – the Agriturismo Diacceroni – a family-owned farmhouse with a small number of apartments available for rent – right in the middle of the most picturesque Tuscany valleys.
And all of a sudden it popped into mind that the ‘Gladiator’ was also filmed in Tuscany… Following which – ‘Gladiator Movie Maximus Home Scene’ was typed into Google search and off we went. A short 15-minute drive and we arrived at the most scenic location in Tuscany – framed with towering cypress trees, wheat valleys and just giant patches of greenery. The best part? Not a soul in sight!
As we were taking it all in, admiring nature whilst walking along the Gladiator trails, our next destination Pienza was right around the corner.
Pienza & San Gimignano
As we were driving off from Val d’Orcia towards Pienza and San Gimignano there’s so many scenic landscapes on the way – you’re literally turning your head from left to right and right to left – in absolute awe of the nature that surrounds you.
Pienza is a small scenic medieval village that’s considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site located close to a 2-hour drive away from Firenze. Pienza Old Town is small and you’ll be able to easily walk through it in 30 minutes (or less) depending on the gelato breaks you’re taking. There’s many small streets you’ll be able to capture stunning architectural photos of – literally every corner of this city is Instagrammable.
San Gimignano is located a 90-minute drive from Pienza and is fondly named as ‘The Manhattan of the Middle Ages’ – referring to its towers – tall as skyscrapers that can be spotted from afar. We parked our car and took a walk up the hill to arrive in the San Gimignano Old Town. First you’ll walk up a seemingly endless street dotted with the most delicious wine and cheese stores, trattorias and leather shops selling the best handicraft in town. On our way back to the car, we spotted a tiny family-owned restaurant and when asked certain items from the menu – the restaurateur (and owner) politely replied in English with his strong Italian accent: “…’scusi but we only have left these two sandwiches and the stuffed croissants with cream.”. In Italy – especially when it’s a family-owned place, you don’t argue. You take what they have and you appreciate every single bite.
Two of the other photo locations we visited in Tuscany were Siena and Peccioli.
Approaching The Eternal City
As we dropped off our loyal companion – the iconic Fiat 500, we embarked on a 300 kilometre train journey to cross the country all the way from Firenze to Rome by train.
The ultra-comfy train ride to the Rome central train station only took us a speedy 90 minutes, and as we arrived at the iconic city at 8pm local time, the golden hour had just started. From the train station we hopped on the metro and a speedy 4 stations later, we stepped out at ‘Spagna’ metro station – only to find us crammed between a horde of people, all screaming and cheering. We noticed a vehicle passing by in between the crowds and the only thought that crossed my mind was – “Must be the Kardashians again in town on a shopping spree!”. I quickly opened Google Maps to navigate our exact location, in hopes of getting closer to our home away from home – the iconic Hotel Scalinata di Spagna right beside the Spanish Steps. And to my huge dismay – as we tried to navigate our way through the crowds of people, I noticed an enormous red carpet pulled all the way down from the Spanish Steps; police barricades; endless amounts of security personnel and crows on every step along the way. It was the ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ World Premiere in Rome. And the vehicle that had just passed by us a few minutes ago was nobody else than Tom Cruise in his Maybach. No wonder the people were screaming off the top of their lungs. I’d, too!
Hotel Scalinata di Spagna
Located literally beside the Spanish Steps and right opposite the Hassler hotel, where Tom Cruise stayed during his visit to Rome – there’s no better place you’d want to spend the night when visiting Rome than Hotel Scalinata di Spagna. The iconic property is located a 25-minute walk away from The Colosseum; a short 10-minute walk from The Fontana di Trevi (The Trevi Fountain); a mere 30 minutes from The Vatican City and literally – in the middle of the city centre. Although the metro connection is brilliant throughout Rome, you’d be better off visiting all sights on a scooter, or (the closer ones) by foot instead – especially if you’re short on time and want to cover as much as possible during your visit.
Hotel Scalinata di Spagna is a small boutique hotel with an amazing rooftop restaurant, where breakfast is served and the room we stayed at is overlooking the Valentino atelier. So all those keen on Valentino F/W24 – that’s your hint to pick a room at the aforementioned hotel.
The rooms are tastefully designed, spacious and spotless – bathrooms newly refurbed and beds super comfortable. You’ll also get two bottles of still and sparkling water with compliments from the hotel.
And if the above was not a clear sign yet – here’s one: this hotel is not-to-be-missed when in Rome.
Tuscany and Rome were exactly what I’d imagined they’d be and here’s a short gallery to showcase some of the best snaps from these iconic parts of Italy:
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