🌞 Planning Day One in Rome — “Hello, Beautiful.”

There’s a kind of magic that happens the moment your feet touch Roman ground. Even through the sleepiness of an overnight flight, the excitement wins. It always does. I’ll land at 10:30 AM, drop my bags at Albergo del Senato, and let the city guide me into my first day—softly, sweetly, and with just enough structure to feel intentional.

This will be my gentle arrival. My invitation to awe.

☕ A slow beginning, with coffee that hugs you back

Once my bag is in the hotel’s care, I’ll wander across the square to Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè. Rome’s iconic coffee, warm and bold. A cornetto or something light to wake up my senses. A tiny moment of “I’m here,” with the hum of the city wrapping around me like a soft greeting.

🏛️ The Pantheon: My first wonder

There will be something indescribable about stepping inside the Pantheon as my first act in Rome. Maybe it’s the way the oculus opens the sky to you. Maybe it’s the marble beneath your feet—original, ancient, untamed by time.

Or maybe it’s the way you feel small but somehow steadier.

I’ll stand there and let gratitude rise in me like a tide. A perfect beginning.

🎨 Piazza Navona: Sunlight + Baroque beauty

A five-minute stroll will lead me into Piazza Navona, where Rome feels warm and alive. Bernini’s fountain twisting and reaching toward the sky. Artists painting. People laughing. Pastel buildings glowing softly.

This is where I’ll sit for a moment and breathe in the beauty. Slow. Unguarded. Present.

🌸 Via dei Coronari: The gentle kind of wandering

Via dei Coronari is sweet and quiet and made for strolling. Tiny boutiques. Antique keys. Leather shops with handmade treasures. A street built for curiosity, without any pressure to hurry.

I’ll dip in and out of places that call to me. And maybe find a souvenir that feels like a whisper of my first Roman day.

💦 Trevi Fountain: My daylight wish

No matter how many photos I’ve seen, nothing can prepare me for how Trevi opens itself, suddenly, dramatically. Water rushing. Blue light shimmering. Centuries of wishes suspended in the air.

I’ll toss my coin over my right shoulder and make a wish that feels true—and hopeful. And someday I’ll tell my granddaughter how her Honey stood right here in Rome and believed in beautiful things. I won’t share the wish itself—superstitious as I am—because I want to give it every chance to come true. But she’ll know this much: whatever I wished for, it was something wonderful for the little girl who stole my heart the moment I first held her.

👗 Via del Corso → Via dei Condotti: A soft glide through elegance

Window shopping here feels like a little treat. The displays. The leather. The simple loveliness of being surrounded by beauty.

No hurry. No list. Just Rome and me walking together.

⛰️ Spanish Steps: A gentle climb, a deep breath

I’ll climb a few steps—not too many, just enough. Enough to see the view open in front of me. Enough to feel the history under my hands. Enough to whisper:

“I made it. And this is only the beginning.”

🍝 Dinner at Osteria dell’Ingegno: Light, elegant, quietly perfect

By early evening, I’ll be ready for something nourishing yet light. Osteria dell’Ingegno, right steps from the Pantheon, will most likely be my first Roman dinner.

Pasta or a beautiful plate of vegetables.

A bottle of cold water with lemon.

A seat where I can watch people live their everyday Roman lives.

It will be the perfect note for ending a full, softly unfolding day.

🌙 After dinner: The most romantic check-in

This is when I’ll return to my hotel. The room will be ready. The sheets cool. The air quiet. My heart full. It’s the loveliest way to end Day One—after a gentle but rich adventure that has already imprinted itself on me.

Honey Note

There is something sacred about a beginning—especially one wrapped in curiosity and sunshine. I want Day One to remind me that life keeps offering soft first chapters if we’re willing to show up for them. And I plan to show up for this one with an open heart, steady feet, and eyes ready for wonder.

Con dolcezza e meraviglia,

🐝 Honey

PS: If the next two weeks unfold anything like this first day, I may just come home with sore feet, a full heart, and a brand-new crush on Italy. And honestly… I’m already a little giddy about what Rome, Florence, and Venice have planned for me.