My very own ‘Roman Holiday’ part 1.

‘Each, in its own way, was unforgettable. It would be difficult to – Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.’ – from the movie Roman Holiday

For as long as I can remember I have been a massive Audrey Hepburn fan! She has never stopped inspiring me, with her radiant smile, classy but quirky dress sense and her all-around beautiful personality. She is in my opinion, one of the first ladies in Hollywood to have that sense of true individuality, and she was loved for it!

The first time I ever saw her, was in the black and white film, Roman Holiday – which soon became one of my favourite films of all time! Even at a young age, I could appreciate her grace and effortless elegance and I just adored her. I have to say, Gregory Peck wasn’t hard to appreciate either! I watched the film over, and over again, until I had learnt all the lines off by heart. It started my love for old movies, which has grown with me over the years!

The more I watched her movies, the more I wanted to know about the woman she was, so I began researching. To my delight, I found that she was somehow even more beautiful within! Not only was she strong and courageous, she was kind and generous. Shes really lived a life of struggles and hardships whilst all the time staying positive and working endlessly to help others. The more I discovered, the more in awe I was of her, not for her fame, but for how humble and incredible a person she was, and to be honest I was shocked how few people knew about her actual life.

Audrey always said she wasn’t an actress, and that she admired all the other actors and actresses for their ability to play different roles and become their parts. But for herself, she did not think she was anything great, she was never trained, and never had the intentions of becoming an actress. When asked how she came to be this famous idle, she replied ‘It just kind of happened’! The film that brought her to our screens and made it all happen was Roman Holiday.

It was one of my dreams to visit all those wonderful places I’d seen on the screen in black and white. To have an ice cream on the Spanish steps like Audrey’s character, Princess Ann. To put my hand in the mouth of truth and to see the barge where she dances with Mr Bradley (Gregory Peck). And one fine sunny day in June I booked my flight and started my very own ‘Roman Holiday’

The Spanish steps

‘I could do some of the things I’ve always wanted to’ 

I had spent weeks planning all the places I wanted to visit and from what I could see online some of the exact locations where unknown but the area was given. So I have to admit one or two places are guesses but the main sites and spots were there! First on the list was my ice cream on the Spanish steps! I may have bought the most expensive ice cream in my life, costing the equivalent of £10, but it didn’t matter as it was all going towards a dream I’d had since I was 6! So there I sat with my chocolate ice cream in the same spot Audrey did with her ice cream! The only thing I didn’t anticipate is how fast the ice cream would melt in the heat of the sun whilst waiting to have a picture taken! I am sorry to say that more ice cream was melted than was actually consumed but still I did not care as I had the photo id always wanted to take!

This is just part one of my wee little blog series all about fulfilling my dreams of walking in Audrey Hepburn’s footsteps… literally! It’s a bit different to my usual blog posts but I hope you guys enjoyed it, part 2 will be along shortly.

Thank you so much for reading, Let me know if you guys liked this post and if you’ve been to Rome/Italy, or are an Audrey Hepburn fan too! If you have any travel plans! Please don’t hesitate to get in Contact if you have any questions, requests or simply want to share an experience. Feel free to follow my Blog, and you can also find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.