Holiblog: Northern Italy Edition 🇮🇹

Hey guys 👋🏻


This Feb Half Term, we embarked on our latest Italian adventure, this time in Northern Italy. This trip was sort of inspired by our 2020 Italy trip that never was (thanks, Covid!)

We changed the plans a little from the original idea, as we only had a week half term instead of the Summer Hols, but we knew we wanted to travel around more of Northern Italy. I found some cheap flights to and from Verona, and we went from there.

Let’s see what we got up to!

Day 1 – Travelling to Italy

Sat 17th – Today was mainly spent travelling to Italy. It was pretty uneventful (and actually an ok flight, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t very fond of flying)

We arrived in Verona at 7 pm and after a short bus ride and a check-in at our hotel we went in search of food.

The little Pizzeria (Rio’s) that we found nearest to our hotel did not disappoint. It was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in Italy.

Day 2 – Verona

Sun 18th – Today, we spent the day in Verona, exploring the town.

We did lots of walking.

We had a short tour of the Verona Arena, which was really cool!

It’s the best preserved Arena in Italy! 

The Arena was probably my favourite ‘sight’ of the trip.

In the early evening, we travelled to Lake Garda, the next destination of our trip.

Day 3 – Lake Garda

Mon 19th – Today, was we visited Salo in Lake Garda.

It is home to the longest promenade in Italy.

& it is very beautiful.

They also do a bangin’ sandwich. This was an insanely good lunch. That bread 🤤

We had a lovely time walking up and down the promenade as well as looking through the city streets.

We rounded off the day with a delicious dinner, Caprese, Rosemary Foccacia, Risotto, and Tiramsu – so good.

Day 4 – Lake Garda

Tues 20th – We started off Day 4 with another yummy breakfast at our lovely B&B  before we headed off to get our bus tickets for the day.

We didn’t realise a market was on, and it was quite extensive. There were some amazing food stalls, including fruit, veg, soooo much cheese and meats.

We decided to pick up some bits and create our own lunch. We chose a delicious fresh tomato, a fresh ball of Mozzarella, a fresh Foccacia, and some amazing strawberries. Delicious.

These made a yummy picnic.

In the afternoon, we headed off to explore another part of Lake Garda – Sirmione.

They are known for their delicious gelato, so we had some in the sunshine when we arrived!

We then had a walk through the castle and town on our way to the ruins of a Roman villa. There was a museum and the ruins itself so that was really interesting to see.

The ruins were so vast.

Once again, the weather was amazing.

We went back to freshen up before having a delicious dinner and a chilled evening in our room.

Day 5 – Milan

Wed 21st – Today we travelled to Milan! We were sad to leave our lovely accommodation in Garda.

Milan Centrale Station is massive! It gives Grand Central Station NYC Vibes for sure.

We spent the day doing LOTS of walking around Milan, seeing the city on foot, there is some cool architecture and graffiti. We picked up some more delicious ice cream, and we went to the Leonardo Di Vinic museum to round off the day.

We had these incredible crepes for dessert from those amazing Gelatoria that we discovered first in Verona.

Day 6 – Milan/Verona

Thurs 22nd – Today, we travelled back to our starting point, Verona, for our final leg of the trip!

Once we made it back Verona (after a 40 min delay at Milan) we freshened up and spent some time just chilling/reading in our hotel room.

It rained in the evening, so we just ventured out nearby to get some food. We didn’t stay out for long before heading back and watching a film in bed.

Day 7 – Verona

Fri 23rd – Today was the only day it rained pretty much all day. We had been so lucky with the weather so far. Typically, we had our Verona Walking Tour.

We didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits and we both thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the city. It was so interesting and Verona is such a beautiful place.

Booking a tour is well worth it!

We grabbed a spot of lunch from a place near the end of the tour, as recommended by our tour guide. The fresh pasta was delicious, and the tiramisu was insannnne.

We were very glad to have such a lovely shower in our hotel room because we were freeeeeezing 🥶 after walking back in the rain. 

And of course, we had another delicious dinner to round off the day!

Day 8 – Verona

Sat 24th – Today was our last full day 🥲

The weather was beautiful, which was great for our final day. We headed over to a cafe that we heard was really nice. We had yet another delicious coffee and pastry.

We spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon looking around the castles museum – it was really interesting with our audio guide, and at the top, you get soke beautiful views of Verona.

After all that exploring and walking around, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the hotel.

In the evening…

WE WENT TO VENICE!!! My favourite 😍

It was beautiful as always ❤️

We had a delicious pasta dinner when we arrived…

… before heading to our favourite gelatoria!! 🍨 Su So is incredible. We had to squeeze some in for dessert.

It was buzzing in Venice as it was the Venice Carnival that weekend.

Venice is truly unique.

I love sitting by the Grand Canal. It’s so peaceful.

💗

Day 9 – Home time

Sun 25th – Today, it was time to go home!

We enjoyed a nice walk into the city centre of Verona to find a nice cafe for breakfast again. We really enjoyed doing this the day before.

We had a final delicious coffee, pastry (and Lasagne for Tim 🤣)

We then had a walk around a bit more, including the arena before heading back to make our way to the airport.



We had such a brilliant trip and it was great to see so many new parts of our favourite country.

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

Holiblog: Summer 2021 pt 2

Part 2… its very late but ah well.

So, as I said, I thought I would start up the ‘Holiblog’ series for the Summer… turns out I didn’t do a very good job… because here we are, quite a few days into Autumn and I haven’t posted a Part Two: August…

So here is that part… not because anyone cares but because we did alot of fun stuff in August and it deserves its own part too.

Let’s take a look!


𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟙𝕤𝕥 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Sleepover fun continued… off to the cinema we go!

Follower by a Nandos just me and Tim ♡

𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟚𝕟𝕕 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

A yummy lunch with my friend Charlotte.

𝕋𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟛𝕣𝕕 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Lunch and a catch up with my friend, by the Waterfront. Followed by a stroll into town.

𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟞𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Yolo with my Rolo

The final Youth Club Farewell 😥

The Youth Club that I went to as a teen and have volunteered at for over ten years is closing. It is really sad and the end of an era! The leaders who used to look after us are now our friends and we had some great times that we will treasure fondly.

𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟟𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

We celebrated our oldest friends (who we’ve known the longest, since we were 3!!) 30th Birthday.

We had some nibbles, drinks and a noce catch up.

I can’t believe we are all turning 30 🎈

𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟠𝕥𝕙 – 𝟙𝟙𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

This was our Summer holiday this year and because of COVID we thought we would keep it local.

We went camping (for the first time!!) Staying at Waveney River Centre in Norfolk. It was nice and relaxing and a bit different. We had some nice meals, played games, went on walks in the sunshine, swam and met up with my Auntie and Cousin.

𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟙𝟜𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Me & my twin sister had organised our bestfriends Hen and finally (thanks COVID!!) it happened.

And it was SO much fun! We started with an Escape Room, followed by lunch, an amazing, hilarious, tipsy Cocktail Masterclass, Dinner and more cocktails 🥂

𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟙𝟝𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

We started off with fun at ‘YaYas House’ a stay and play play centre, which would of 100% been my dream as a child, with its themed rooms.

The boys came over for a sleepover – its so good to be able to do them again.

𝕋𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟙𝟟𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Today, we celebrated my Aunties 70th birthday. It was a lovely family get-together.

𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟚𝟚𝕟𝕕 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

An excellent, if not a little, messy (and expensive) day starting with a yummy bottomless brunch. I work with great people.

𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟚𝟡𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

Celebrating the birthdays of my two fave little boys 💙 My Nephews.

𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝟛𝟘𝕥𝕙 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙

I got my husband Tim a Meerkat experience at our local zoo. This was part of his 30th birthday present. He loved it.


I hope you had a brilliant Summer!

Until Next Time,

Roseanne

Holiblog: The Rome Edition

For my husband Tim’s 28th birthday I bought us a trip to Rome. As you may know from previous blogs, Italy is our favourite country and Tim’s favourite Italian city that we’ve visited is Rome, it’s been 7 years since our first visit.

Read on to see what we got up to!


Day One


It was a early start for us to begin our Rome adventure, from Gatwick!

This meant we had a whole day to start exploring.

But, first lunch! And an ice cream stop at the highest rated ice cream place in Rome, it didn’t disappoint!

Trip Advisor: Best Gelato in Rome

We stumbled upon the National Museum of Rome and this was a great find. The architecture was amazing and we had a audio guide which was really interesting.

After all our exploring and walking around we had a chilled evening back at our room. We grabbed some take away pizza slices and a couple of ice cold cans of coke zero and enjoyed a them in our cosy room.


Day Two


Today we headed out early to have a look at the Colosseum. We went inside it on our last trip to Rome so this time we just went to have a look at it again from the outside, as well as the area around it.

We enjoyed a nice lunch and some ice cream before heading back for a siesta and our evening activity.

That evening we enjoyed our Italian cooking class, the first of our three planned activities for the trip.

It was originally going to be a pizza class (my husband is obsessed with pizza and this trip was planned by me for his birthday) but they changed the menu to pasta, as a summer alternative. Even so we had a great time!

We made pasta, a similar one to tagliatelle, Gnocci and then for dessert we made an amazing summer berries and white chocolate tiramisu. It was so good and it was so fun to cook proper pasta. You can really tell the difference.


Day Three


I think this was my favourite day of the holiday.

We had a nice early start to have a look round Palentine hill and the Roman Forum. We missed out on seeing these last time as we didn’t get there early enough and it is horrendous in the heat!

So, we made our way there nice and early and spent the morning having a look at the amazing Roman Ruins.

For lunch we headed over to the highest rated pizza place in Rome and it was delicious. This was my favourite meal and the man who owned the shop was so helpful and friendly. It’s a small little shop but so worth it.

Trip Advisor: Best Pizza in Rome

In the evening we headed to Piazza Campo de’ Fiori to have our second planned activity, a ‘By night walking tour of Rome’ Our guide was absolutely brilliant, born and raised in Rome so very knowledgable.

We saw so many different sights that we hadn’t seen before, such as the Pantheon and my favourite, the Trevi fountain (Which is SO beautiful) and much bigger than I expected. I’m so glad we got to see it this time.


Day Four


On day four our planned activity was an evening walking food tour, unfortunately it was cancelled so we had another think about what to do.

In the end we booked a morning trip, including a guided tour of the Vatican city. The tour included access to the Vatican museum, the Cistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basillca.

These places were all amazing and the artwork, tapestrys and architecture were amazing, as well as the history.

After a delicious lunch of Caprese salad, Pizza and the most amazing tiramisu we headed home for another afternoon siesta!

In the evening we took a stroll down to the Colosseum, after dinner, to have a look at it all lit up at night. It looked beautiful!


Day Five


On our final day we didnt fly out until the evening so, we wanted to make the most of our last day.

At breakfast we had a look on Viator to see what we could do.

As we didn’t make pizza at the previous cooking class we booked onto a pizza class for midday.

We stumbled across the Spanish Steps whilst we were looking for the cooking class location which was cool! Another landmark to tick off.

The cooking class was brilliant, with a lovely group of Americans & a Canadian lady. I really enjoyed making an authentic pizza in Rome and I loved seeing Tim make his favourite cuisine too.

They were really tasty!! A great lunch for our last day.

One of the other members of the cooking class mentioned a 5D experience that they were visiting later that day and as we had no other plans we thought we would check it out too!

We went for the full package 5D experience watching the history of Rome, the evolution of life and we looked around Roman landmarks with a VR headset on.

Once we had done all this it was a good time to slowly amble back to Termini to grab our bags and get the coach to the airport.

A great end to the holiday.

We had a brilliant time in Rome and I would 100% recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting Italy, especially if you are a first timer as there is so much to see and do.

& of course the food is amazing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little post about our trip!

I wonder what next years Holiblogs will be about!? Time to start thinking for 2020.


Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Holiblog: Florida edition pt1


Part one: The Hotel & local area


So, if you’ve followed me for a bit you’ll know that back in 2016 I did a Holiblog (Holiday Blog -See what I did there?!) Series when we were on our honeymoon to Sardinia.

Well, for the last two weeks we have been on our dream holiday in Orlando, Florida and I really wanted to do the same for this trip, as a nice way to capture the experience.

We packed alot into two weeks so I’m not 100% sure how I will split the blogs yet as I will only know how long they will be when I’m writing them, but that’s why it’s a series aye!

For the first edition I thought that I would show you guys the amazing Orlando area inc our lovely Hotel/Apartment.

So without further ado, let’s get stuck in!


The Apartment/Hotel

We stayed at the amazing Enclave Suites off International Drive.

We had a two bedroom apartment for the 6 of us (Casey in a travel cot) Both bedrooms had lovely en-suites and the lounge and kitchenette were great.

We also had a lovely long balcony with an awesome view of the pool & surrounding area. Love a balcony.

The hotel had a lovely big pool which our apartment over looked.

It also had lovely grounds with lots of lush greenery and a quaint gazebo area overlooking a lake.

The hotel had a restaurant onsite which is where we had our complimentary brekky, it also did some really yummy lunch food and was Pizza hut in the evening!!

The staff were SO friendly and made you feel so welcome and at home.

I would 100% recommend checking them out if you are off to Florida and I would love to go back.

➡️ The Enclave Suites


The local area

The surrounding area was really lovely.

We were close to busy International Drive so it was very commercial but the roads are lined with beautiful lush grass, palm trees and man made lakes.

And of course the beautiful blue skies help with the lovely feel of the place 🏞

As I said some of it very commercial but it’s so COOL and you really feel like you are getting the full American experience.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂