Relax as the Romans do…

With our busy program we’re often out and about at museums, villas, and outdoor monuments doing lessons and workshops. But downtime is still very important, and in Rome we do it in style.

Over the weekend we spent some time in Villa Borghese, the green heart of Rome. It’s a wonderful park in the centre, literally shaped like a heart. 

On the small and tranquil lake in the park you can take out a rowing boat so we hopped aboard and tried not to get stuck paddling around surrounded by ducks, geese and turtles. 

It was a wonderful way to spend a lazy Roman Saturday! 

We also enjoyed a picnic in the shade of Rome’s characteristic umbrella pine trees, listening to the chatter of the resident bright green parakeets, and later we couldn’t miss a spot of shopping. 

Walking from Piazza di Spagna where the famous “Spanish steps” lead up to Trinità dei Monti, towards our hotel, we stroll down many important streets such as Via del Corso, home to a number of important Italian fashion houses and luxury brands. But there is something to everyone’s tastes to be found and lots of souvenir stalls too. 

As we all know, Italians love their food, so you can’t go wrong sitting at a cafe with a cappuccino or espresso and maybe something sweet, especially on a weekend morning. 

You can often find musicians and street performers busking for passers-by, and it’s easy to while away the hours watching them show off their talents.

Some of our more eagle-eyed celeb-spotting students even ran into some well-known TikTokers while wandering down Via del Corso! Can you tell our Global Navigators apart from the social media stars?