Wedding in Florence & sightseeing in Rome

The wedding in Florence was absolutely amazing, and I am sure that my friend Callie thinks that in the end it was worth all the angst caused by her dealings with bureaucracy both in the UK and Italy! In the photo below you can see the beautiful Villa le Piazzole where the wedding reception and evening celebrations took place, after the wedding mass in the lovely Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli in Florence. I have shared some beautiful photos of Callie and Emilio's wedding on my Facebook page.

My wedding outfit

How did my travel capsule work for sightseeing in Florence and Rome? It proved very versatile, however I hadn't quite allowed for how hot and sweaty I would get walking around the two cities and that I would feel the need to change my outfit every evening after showering, so I needed two outfits per day!  Luckily I was able to wash a couple of tops plus a dress (after a waitress spilt my glass of prosecco over  it in Florence!) I bought the red striped top shown below in the sales in Rome and the one in the second picture was bought in the sales in Alicante, so I had plenty of clothes to wear. The only item of clothing that I never wore was my blue jacket, which I had taken "just in case".

La Bocca della Verità

I wasn't as nervous as Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday" when I put my hand in La Bocca - but there again, I hadn't been telling any fibs!

Sight-seeing in beautiful Florence

The Colosseum - where else?

I had booked a tour of the Colosseum on-line, with tickets for entry at 08.45. It was definitely worth arriving early, as it wasn't too hot while we were walking about plus it wasn't very crowded when we entered, though it became a lot busier later on.

I couldn't miss the Spanish Steps!

 It is impossible to see everything in Rome when you're only there for 4 days, though I did visit the Trevi fountain one evening and throw in a coin, so I'm definitely returning some time! I had also booked a tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, which was amazing. A shame, though understandable, that you can't take photos in the Chapel.

Another highlight for me was the Galleria Borghese, which is set in lovely gardens. I rather liked the Rules for the Villa!

I am very grateful to my daughters for joining me on my first holiday without John. Kate came to Florence with me for the wedding (travelling via Rome) and then she flew back to London while Vicky kept me company in Rome. They made it a lovely memorable holiday for me.

Planning a holiday wardrobe

When you're going through hard times it's good to have something special to look forward to, to help you feel more positive. What could be more special than the wedding of my dear friends Callie and Emilio in Florence, Italy? 💕I'm flying to Italy on Friday 6 July, so it's time to plan my holiday wardrobe.

If you're going abroad for a wedding too, or planning your summer holiday in a hot climate, no doubt like me you are wondering what to pack. There are plenty of blog posts to inspire you, however I've found that many of them are talking about beach holidays and packing lots of swimwear. I'll be in Rome as well as Florence, so I don't think swimwear will be appropriate, do you? 😎

I also hope to fit in some sight-seeing, which may include visiting churches, so I need to have suitable clothes for these activities as well as the actual wedding. Apart from the wedding outfit, my holiday wardrobe will be casual, comfortable and hopefully chic! I am looking at mostly natural fibres, with linen trousers (yes, I know they will crease!), cotton tops and a few mixed fibre items. As usual, I will decide on a colour palette that should let me mix and match my clothes to create different outfits.

This blue and white top is so light and cool that it's a must for my holiday wardrobe! I am
also taking the two pairs of linen trousers shown: the slightly cropped dark grey ones in the middle and the full.length navy ones on the right. As you have no doubt guessed, my neutrals will be
navy and grey.

 

Here are the tops that I plan to take, which will add a touch of colour. I am also going to pack the turquoise and striped dresses shown on the bottom row.

No prizes for guessing my favourite accent colours: turquoise, orange and red. I will pack my navy and coral Decathlon shoes for walking, as they are so comfortable, plus two pairs of ballerina shoes for a slightly smarter look in the evenings.

I love Decathlon's ballerina pumps for walking!

Orange ballerinas. I'll take red ones too.

I am adding colour with accessories too. A totally neutral outfit isn't my best look and I need contrast in my outfits. I will also include a wrap and/or lightweight scarf to cover my shoulders if I enter any churches when sightseeing.

How about you? Are you planning a holiday in a hot climate and, if so, any tips to share?

PS I hope to have a photo of my wedding outfit to share with you on my return.