Author: Alexander Meddings

The Eternal City might be more famous for its monuments than its municipal parks, but visitors in need of some respite from the centre’s hustle and bustle will be pleased to know that there are plenty of parks in Rome. Here, our resident Roman Alex shares his top recommendations. See which parks in Rome are […]

Devising an itinerary for a city as artistically rich as Florence is no simple matter – and fitting in visits to both the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia is often not feasible. Ideally, you should spend at least two full days in Florence. But this is not always possible – especially if visiting as a […]

Whether for its famed nightlife, relaxing thermal baths, or (unfairly) underappreciated wealth of cultural attractions, Budapest deserves to be visited by all. So congratulations! – you’ve booked your tickets and are planning your itinerary. Just one matter remains: where to stay in Budapest. Budapest is a big city, comprising roughly 1.75 million inhabitants spread across […]

If there’s one dish that symbolises hearty Tuscan cuisine it’s the Florentine steak (bistecca alla fiorentina). Stubbornly served rare, this juicy chunk of T-bone is a simple yet delicious dish, at most drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and a side of fries, roast potatoes, or white cannellini beans.  Restaurants all across Florence feature Florentine steak […]

Easter is among the best times of year to visit the Italian capital. The city is busy, bustling and at its vibrant best, with pilgrims, tourists, and locals colouring the city with life.  Contrary to popular belief, Easter Weekend is not the busiest period in Rome. People instead tend to incorporate the weekends before or […]

Averaging only 55 days of rainfall each year, Barcelona is blessed with a temperate Mediterranean climate. But it’s not immune from spells of heavy rain, especially during the cold season. And while you’re bound to get wonderful weather most year-round, your trip could coincide with one of those rare rainy days, which especially fall around […]

Barcelona, the regional capital of Catalonia, is a proudly cosmopolitan city. Visit and you’ll find a melting pot of Mediterranean cultures situated on the shores of the Balearic Sea and bordering France, Andorra and—as many Catalans would contest—Spain.  Barcelona is second only to Madrid as the second most active economically-active city on the Iberian peninsula. […]

When budgeting for your trip to Florence, make sure to factor in the city tax (tassa di soggiorno). Commonly known as the ‘tourist tax’, this may not be included in the listed price of your accommodation, in which case you’ll be asked to pay it directly to the establishment at the end of your stay. […]

When you book accommodation in Rome, make sure to check whether the total amount includes the city tax (tassa di soggiorno). Most of the time, you must pay this extra fee directly to your accommodation at the end of your stay, so make sure to factor it in when budgeting for your trip. How much […]

People often ask us why so much of ancient Rome is underground, peeking up from beneath the street level. We tell them that it helps to think of Rome like a lasagne – a debris-encrusted layer cake of overlapping archaeological levels. The ancient city belies the medieval, the medieval belies the modern, and today’s modern […]

Running along the west bank of Rome’s River Tiber, the medieval district of Trastevere is among the best neighbourhoods in the city for traditional Roman restaurants. Trastevere’s restaurants were the first to ‘fill up’ after the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, (at least as much as possible). If you consider that Rome wasn’t welcoming tourists, and […]

In Italy, wine is more than just a drink. It’s a vital part of culture and a collective item of indulgence. Every glass you drink in an enoteca (Italian wine bar) comes with a history lesson and story—even when you don’t ask for it—in which your waiter’s distant ancestor plays the protagonist of their family […]

For curious travellers looking for an authentic experience of central Europe, Budapest is simply brilliant. The Hungarian capital has it all: museums, galleries and even a castle; traditional baths; world-famous bar scene; and great beer.  What’s not to love!  We’ve written this guide for first-time travellers to Budapest in which we share our favourite things […]

Taking a cooking class together is one of the most romantic things to do in Rome for couples

Baccalà with lemon from Rome's Jewish Ghetto

Buon Ferragosto a tutti! — Happy Ferragosto, everyone! August 15 is Ferragosto, a public holiday here in Italy and the most eagerly anticipated day in the country’s summer calendar. Italians celebrate Ferragosto by downing tools, taking the day off, and heading for the coast or the cool air mountain air (if indeed they’re not already there). But […]

Rome is a city of secrets, not all of which are above ground. The Eternal City is a lasagne of layers – ancient, medieval and modern, each built on top of another, concealing but preserving the past. And while most travellers limit their itinerary to Rome’s ground-level attractions, like the Colosseum, Vatican, and the must-see […]

Gladiatorial contests were among the most popular forms of entertainment in republican and imperial Rome, and gladiators were rivalled only by charioteers in the riches with which they were rewarded. While our literary sources are lacking in describing gladiatorial combat, gladiators appear elsewhere if you know where to look: mentioned in celebratory graffiti, inscriptions, and […]

Whether you’re a culture vulture, art enthusiast or food aficionado, Rome offers something for everyone. Walking around the city centre can feel like browsing an open-air museum, but the city’s state and private collections are something else entirely. That Rome excels in museums and galleries should hardly be surprising given Rome’s vast heritage. But the […]

Rome is a wonderful city to visit any time of the year, but no season is as special as summer. During the day the city is in full swing with all sites, galleries and restaurants vying for business ahead of the mid-August when Italy’s cities empty. The evenings are cool enough to relax in a […]