A Rome Engagement Shoot: 13 Miles, Ancient Landmarks and Lamplit Lanes
Briony and Rob’s engagement shoot took us from a kiss in front of the Trevi Fountain to a lamplit lane after dark. None of us planned to walk 13 miles around Rome in between, but with a couple this down to earth it’s easy to lose track of time. Rome is where they got engaged, so when they suggested going back for their shoot, we were thrilled.
Rome on foot: from the Trevi Fountain to the Aventine Hill
A shoot in Rome feels like a day of sightseeing with a camera. The Trevi Fountain was built between 1732 and 1762 to a design by Nicola Salvi, and it’s every bit as grand in person. The 135 Spanish Steps climb from Piazza di Spagna to the church of Trinità dei Monti. The Colosseum, completed in AD 80 under the emperor Titus, once seated around 50,000 people.
One of the quieter spots we found was the Orange Garden, or Giardino degli Aranci, on the Aventine Hill. It was laid out in 1932 by the architect Raffaele De Vico, inside the walls of a medieval fortress built by the Savelli family. Orange trees fill the lawns, pines frame the terrace, and the view runs from the bend of the Tiber to the dome of St Peter’s.
Crowds, kisses and the Colosseum
Rome is busy, so we made the crowds part of the story. Under a blue sky at the Trevi Fountain, everyone else became silhouettes against the water while Briony and Rob kissed in the middle. Closer in, a black and white frame catches them mid-kiss as a tourist beside them carries on, oblivious. On the Spanish Steps they sat together among the people, with Trinità dei Monti above.
At the Colosseum we photographed them beneath those great stacked arches, then inside, framed by a dark brick archway as the tour groups passed by. It’s hard to feel self-conscious in a place that big.
A garden above the city and lamplit lanes
Up on the Aventine, the pace slowed right down. They kissed on the gravel terrace between the pines, then held each other at the wall with the rooftops of Rome behind them. In one black and white frame they’re lost in each other at one end, while three other visitors huddle over a phone at the other. Beneath the orange trees, the two of them looked tiny against a towering ochre wall.
The weather came and went, with grey spells and the odd shower by the Vittoriano. As the light faded we wandered back through narrow streets of ochre walls, ivy and blue shutters. The last frames show them small at the end of a lamplit lane under an old arch, and close together beneath a single warm light.
We often say a destination engagement shoot is the ultimate day out. There’s hardly any point flying hundreds of miles for a 60-minute shoot, so we plan a whole day of sightseeing, exploring and getting to know the couple. We see far more on these days than we ever would on a normal day out. Back then we kept to a maximum of three international weddings and three international engagement shoots a year, so that we’d always enjoy the travel.
Why we love an engagement shoot in Rome
If you’re thinking about Rome for your own shoot, here’s our honest advice:
- Make a day of it. Rome rewards walking, so plan a whole day rather than an hour, and wear shoes you can manage 13 miles in.
- Use the crowds, then escape them. The big landmarks are busy, so we make the crowds part of the picture and save the close portraits for quieter spots like the Orange Garden.
- Check the rules first. Sitting on the Spanish Steps has been banned since 2019, and since February 2026 you need a ticket to get close to the Trevi Fountain’s basin.
- Stay out after dark. The narrow streets and warm lamplight give you a completely different set of photographs once the sun goes down.
Planning your own wedding or engagement shoot abroad?
Rome was a real highlight for us, and we’re so grateful to Briony and Rob for suggesting it, a couple of months before their wedding. If you’d love a shoot somewhere that means something to you, see more of our destination wedding photography, or get in touch to talk through your plans.
