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Hotels of Italy

Hotel Internazionale, Bologna

Hotels of Italy

Hey guys! Hope you’re having a fabulous Thursday! I’m up in Seattle this weekend for the BlogHer Food Conference, but really I’m just using that as an excuse to get my cupcake-tasting on with my partners-in-crime Jenny and Maria! So if you have any suggestions for us, lay ’em on me! :) I’ll definitely be sure to share what we found when I get back next week. While I’m away, I thought I’d share some of these photos that I had here with me on my laptop. These are a few of the hotels we stayed in while we were in Italy. I thought it’d be fun to share a peek inside these Italian hotels, in case you’ve ever wondered how different (or the same!) they are. :)

Hotels of Italy

This was the Hotel Internazionale in Bologna. It was fun to say  Internazionale. And it was probably my favorite room! We only stayed here one night. Tragedy!

Hotels of Italy

Hi! Comfy couch.

Hotels of Italy

This was the massive bathroom, and the first time I encountered the double toilets. In the entire two weeks, I never did figure out what that second seat was for. Please don’t tell me. I don’t think my soul could handle it.

Hotels of Italy

I was kind of afraid of what the shower situation would be like. Would there be showers at all? Or only tubs? Would I have to take a bath? How would the water pressure be? Dismal? Drizzly? Would there be hot water?

Hotels of Italy

But I’m very happy to report that we had excellent showers in every single hotel we stayed in. There was plenty of hot water and tons of pressure. I had better luck with the showers here than I usually do back in the States! :)

Hotels of Italy

This was new. In most of the rooms we stayed in, there was this key card slot by the door. After unlocking the door, you have to insert your card here to turn on the power to the room to get the lights to turn on and such. When you leave, you take the key with you and the power turns back off. So uh, no leaving batteries or anything to charge while you’re gone all day! :)

Hotels of Italy

Beautiful staircase.

 

Hotel Marco Polo, Verona

Hotels of Italy

Our next stop was the Hotel Marco Polo in Verona.

Hotels of Italy

This was such a cute little room!

Hotels of Italy

I loved this window that opened right up to the streets of Verona.

 

Hotel Alexandra, Rome

Hotels of Italy

In Rome, we stayed in the Hotel Alexandra.

Hotels of Italy

This was our room there.

Hotels of Italy

Cute little desk.

Hotels of Italy

Comfy chair. By the way, these are the adapters I used for my electronics while I was in Italy. I was totally unsure which ones to get, but those ended up working perfectly in all seven of the hotels we stayed in across Italy.

Hotels of Italy

Hi again!

Hotels of Italy

Okay, I loved this cute little chest of drawers.

Hotels of Italy

It had a real key for locking and unlocking the drawers. Since there was no other safe in the room, I guess this was it! :)

Hotels of Italy

We were also issued actual keys to get in and out of our room, which we dropped off and picked up for the bellman every time we left or entered the hotel.

Hotels of Italy

Cracked up to see my initials on our key, lol! :)

Hotels of Italy

Here was the little outdoor balcony from our room.

Hotels of Italy

And our view of Rome.

Thanks so much for looking! Have a great weekend! :)

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31 Responses
  1. jja

    You have never seen a bidet before, really? :) I can hardly imagine that. Since we in Europe would recognize so many things which are usually to find only in the USA. I love the chanse to wash myself afer using the WC, everything else is just yuck. I don’t have bidet at the moment, but most of the modern new apartment will have it.

  2. Marisa Behnke

    Do you share where you buy your clothes? I love the light blue top with the blue (flowers?) on the front. Your wearing it with a white sweater!! It is awesome!

  3. Marlina

    Amanda, I really enjoy your blog and have been following for some time now. Lately I’ve been really intrigued by all of your beautiful pictures, especially the Italian landscape. My husband and I are spending 6 weeks in Paris working and spending our last week vacationing around Italy. I’ve read your January post on using Lightroom a dozen times. I own Photoshop but am trying to learn for the general concepts you are teaching. My question, are you using Lightroom for your most recent travel pictures or Photoshop? And you mentioned you use Photoshop actions? Do you have any “go to” actions you recommend?

  4. Emily

    Handy tip for anyone traveling in Europe if you do want to leave something charging in your room while you’re out – just use a spare credit-card-shaped item in place of the room key! Library cards, gift cards, etc. It works perfectly!

  5. Lynn

    Dear Kevin and Amanda,
    You are both so blessed to have the opportunity to travel and experience all these wonderful places and things!! Enjoy it and I hope you don’t ever take it for granted
    :-)
    Enjoy your life and Thank the Lord :-)

  6. TheSchoolNurse

    The second toilet… well others have given you the proper use, but I must tell you when I traveled to Italy (when I was in high school) my friends and I used it to clean our feet! :)

  7. Kate

    Hi! I love your blog and am so stoked you posted about Italy. My husband and I are planning a trip there for next spring. How did you decide which hotels to stay at? And did you book in advance or did you just find them as you travelled? Thanks!

    Kate

  8. Ann

    If you ever use a bidet, here’s a little tip – check the water temp before you squat, otherwise you may wind up scorching your girl parts. Just sayin’ ;)

  9. Zeno

    LOL @ the second toilet! ;)
    You have never seen a bidet before, really? :)
    My cousins in Virgina have one, and also their son in NY.
    A bidet (accent over the “e”) is very practical for both men and women. :)
    Lovely hotels, btw! :)

  10. The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

    I hope that you had Kevin get a pic of you throwing open the shutters at the Marco Polo! Very Italiano! :-)

  11. Sharon

    Hi Amanda, hope you don’t mind me asking for some advice. First off – I love your blog – the photography tips are great and I love learning more about focal length, lenses with the info you provide for each picture! I just got my first DSLR camera, Canon T3i for a trip to Italy I’m taking in the fall (going to some of the same places you went!). Since I’m an amateur, I only want to invest in one other lens (have the 18-55mm that came with kit), do you suggest I get a prime (55mm?) lens or telephoto?

  12. Gail

    What hotels did you stay in while in the Cinque Terra? Try Cafe Nuevo in West Seattle for cupcakes and delicious twice baked almond croissants; also Cupcake Royale has fabulous cupcakes!!

  13. Belinda Mansell

    Hi Amanda,

    Funny story! That second toilet was a bidet (accent over the “e”). It is used for women to rinse their private areas when the finish using the restroom. The only reason I know is because my sister had one in her house in Richmond, VA in 1983. I used it and it was very cold to say the least.
    I would also like to know where to purchase one of the camera bags that you posted in your e-mail a while back. I would like to purchase one for my camera to double for a purse when I go on my cruise in two weeks.

    Thank you,
    Belinda Mansell

  14. alice

    Boy howdy,
    I just love your adventures! Your pictures are fabulous to boot.
    Have fun eating cupcakes!
    smiles, alice

  15. Leonor

    Well that’s pretty common here in Europe. The second seat it’s called a “bidé” (bidet in english) in Portugal and we use it to wash down there when we go to the bathroom. It was invented by the french. I’m so used to it that it’s very strange when I travel to countries that don’t use it.

  16. Karen

    I couldn’t believe you didn’t know what a bidet is ? In lot of parts of Europe they are the norm. We don’t tend to have them here in the UK, but we do have one in our Spanish property. They have them in all Spanish properties, we use ours for washing our sandy feet when we come of the beach and rinsing our cossies in . LOL You would have a fit if you went to any Muslim Country. The toilets all have a shower attachment, next to the toilet. Also have you ever come across the hole in the floor toilets that are very common in Europe and many Countires of the World. They are a real experience !!

  17. Gretchen Korf

    Argh, I don’t see my comment come up here. I don’t want you to miss to amazing places while in Seattle, so I am reposting it=) Or maybe you’ll end up with it twice. Don’t miss GYRO CAFE (Tell the owner, Gretchen sent you) on 15th street right above Capitol Hill. Order the Lamb Gyro Plate. The most amazing food! Then head down the hill to B and O Espresso. Order the milky way espresso milk shake and the black muddy river cake. I am not kidding! You will not regret it. Enjoy Seattle and bring your umbrella! (You will love the Olympic Sculpture Park for some fun pictures and a nice art walk) Gretchen

  18. Gretchen Korf

    Please be SURE to grab a bite at a little hole in the wall, GYRO CAFE on 15th street. Just above Capitol Hill while you are in Seattle. Order the Lamb Gyro Plate, It’s amazing! Fresh made hummus, taziki and pita. Mmmm. I will be there Friday night for my hubby’s bday! Have a great time in Seattle. (hopefully you won’t mind the rain.). Oh! And if you get a chance, and are into dessert (I know you are), then please do not miss B and O espresso. It’s right on the way up to Capitol Hill, order the Milky Way espresso Milk shake and the black muddy river cake. Oh man, it’s amazing!

  19. Stephanie @ Our Marriage Adventure

    I would say its a bidet, but it looks…funny for a bidet. I know some places here in the States that have them and its always weird to me to see one.

    I love that second hotel, with the shutters – that just screams Italian to me for some reason. :)

  20. Deannab1

    There are a ton of fantastic dessert and cupcake places in Seattle, but one that isn’t quite as well known, but trumps its competitors is Simply Desserts. It’s in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. There are cute shops surrounding it and the famous Fremont troll is just a few blocks away. It’s totally worth the trip.

  21. Dorothy

    HaHa – a second toilet !! It’s a “bidet” (pronounced bee-day) and it’s used for intimate hygiene, mainly female – we have them here in Spain. We also use toilet paper :) All flats, houses and apartments have them…

  22. Sonya

    Please don’t wash your feet in the bidet…that’s not the body part it’s intended for!!! You need to Google it…you’ll get a giggle what it’s really supposed to wash. Looks like some beautiful places! Thanks for sharing your travels with us!

  23. Vintage Paper Designs

    hahah, so I see I am not the only crazy one who post photos of every hotel room I’ve ever been :)

    Nice pics.
    Nika

  24. Patricia

    In France, it is called a “bidet” (bee-day) ! It’s a very very old prop, before toilet paper was invented, if you know what I mean…
    You can still find “bidets” in old houses or buildings (my mom have a one in her 1968 apartement ! My 5 y.old daughter and her cousins use it as a mini sink to wash their hands ;))

  25. Carla @ Carla's Confections

    All of those hotels look awesome and so beautiful!!!!! It is funny how other countries do things to conserve energy that the US hasn’t picked up on :) I live in New Zealand right now and they have switches next to all the outlets so you don’t waste energy. Pretty creative! Looks like you had a great time and I hope you have tons of fun in Seattle!

  26. Olga

    In fact, the second seat at the bathroom is very useful to wash your feet after a long day of sightseeing, though it’s not its original purpose :-)

  27. Lynna H.

    wow! i don`t know about others, but I love looking and seeing hotel rooms. I love seeing what kind of interior designs are going on, how big and beautiful the bathrooms are, how comfy the bed is, etc. So I totally loved looking at these pictures!

    Have fun at the conference!

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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