All Roads Lead to Rome

Ciao amici e famiglia,
So I knew it was time to update this blog when my Mom asked me how easy it was to set up a Facebook so she could see all my pictures…frightened by that thought, I started writing right away! So here I am, sorry it has taken me so long to finally get to this, but I have been so busy getting settled into my new life here in the Eternal City. It’s hard to believe this is where I’m going to be living for the next three months. The gorgeous four star Hotel Tiziano, which is located right on one of the main arteries of Rome, Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle II, is now where I call home. Our location in Rome couldn’t be more fabulous! I’m living in the Roman neighborhood called Il Cuore di Roma, “The Heart of Rome,” and it is definitely true to it’s name. They say the best way to get to know the city is to get lost in it, and I have been making a point to do just that at least once a day. And, I don’t have to go far to find myself at some amazing location either.

On our first night here in Rome, we set out to find our first piece of celebrated Italian pizza. Across the street and two blocks down we found such pizza, in front of the ancient ex Roman temple turned Catholic Church, The Pantheon. Built circa 27 BC, it was certainly overwhelming knowing it was one of the oldest buildings in all of Rome, not to mention in the world. After our delicious mushroom and zucchini pizza, we kept walking for another 3 minutes and suddenly found ourselves at the Trevi Fountain. This is pretty much how the rest of the week went for me. Take a left outside the hotel and within 5 mins your in Campo di Fiori, the outdoor market, or Piazza Navona, within 10 you’re at the gates of Vatican City. Swing a right outside the hotel and in 10 minutes you’re in the middle of ancient Rome, hello Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus and The Colosseum!

However, my favorite place to get lost (anyone who knows Rome might have guessed) is Piazza di Spagna aka the Spanish Steps. Lets just say when I first got lost there, not only was I not prepared for what I had miraculously stumbled upon, but I wasn't dressed for it either. Imagine all your favorite friends say Gucci, Armani, Valentino, Fendi, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Hermes, Cartier, Salvatore Ferragamo and Jimmy Choo all in one place! Some of you might not quite understand my enthusiasm, but I had just found myself in designer heaven. On my first day there, wearing only a pair of humble sandals, I couldn’t even bring myself to step into Jimmy Choo out of respect for the masterpieces that were on exhibition inside. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, Its only harmless window shopping…for now, but just the window shopping in itself is spectacular.

Unfortunately I’m not here for Italian fashion, I am here for school. I am just starting my third week of classes and all is well in that department. I am taking Mass Communication, Art History, Morality, Marketing and International Business, and of course Italian. My professors are all wonderful and come from all over the world from places like Greece, Iran, Malta, and Italy. Luckily we haven’t had too much to do yet because its kind of hard to focus on school when you living in the heart of Rome. My favorite class by far would have to be my mass comm class. I love my professor and we are always covering interesting material. Since we have such a short semester, we only really have the mid term and final to determine our grades, All I have to do is stay on top of things and I should do alright.

I am also in one more class, if you can call it that, called Lectures and Tours. Its worth one credit and it meets some Fridays and Saturdays during the semester. It taking us to different historical places across Italy and teaches us their significance. Two Saturdays ago we went on tours of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. Each was fascinating in their own way, but my favorite would have to be the Palatine Hill because of its gorgeous landscape and breathtaking views of the whole city. The Palatine Hill is located above the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus and is where the past emperors of Rome built their outrageous villas. This past Saturday, we went on an excursion that took us to Tarquinia and Cerveteri which are each about an hour and a half north of Rome. We have been learning a lot about the Etruscans, which were the early inhibitors of Tuscany and Northern Lazio before the Romans. In Tarquinia and in Cerveteri we went to ancient Etruscan Tombs that date as far back as the 7th century BC. They all very interesting, but the highlight of the trip would have to be our break at the beach in Tarquinia. The weather here has been incredible and Saturday was no exception. It was high 70’s with a warm breeze and not a cloud insight. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day to lay out on the warm sand and play in the calm water off the Tyrrenian coast. I loved it so much, that me and a group of girls made plans to spend this weekend at the beach in Cinque Terra. Cinque Terra is a group of 5 small towns all within walking distance along the coast of Northern Italy. If you’ve never heard of it, Google Image it, you will die!

Life here in Rome has been a lot different than I originally expected. I hadn’t taken into account the fact that I would be moving to one of the biggest cities in the world. I am literally living downtown in a major metropolitan city and along with the stunning architecture and timeless monuments comes the crowded streets, cigarette filled air, and constant, and I mean CONSTANT, shrieking of sirens. Every kind of siren too. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rome, but the sirens here are relentless and I’m pretty sure they are what have been causing my chronic headaches. Its fairly warm here in the city and our window opens directly out to the Corso so we get sirens all day and all night. Also, I forgot to mention that we are located on the corner of Largo Argentina, a main bus and train hub in the city. So not only do we get the never ending sirens, but also the loud buses, screeching trains and roaring motorcycles. Lets just say, there is always a lot of commotion and plenty of noise to go around, but I guess this isn’t really new to me considering the crazy house I’ve been living in for the past 18 years.

I am also going through some major culture shock. The way things are done here are so much different than in the United States. For one, Italians always look presentable. You would never see someone on the street with shorts on, let alone a baggy sweatshirt. High heels and Armani are for everyday. We are not allowed to dinner, let alone out of our rooms at the Hotel Tiziano wearing sweatpants, flip flops or slippers. Also, Italians do their shopping the polar opposite way that Americans do. Here you must get every item you want at its specific store. You want cheese, you go to the cheese store. You want bread, you go to the bread store. You want a notebook, you go to the notebook store. You want laundry soap, you go to the laundry store. I have never missed Target more, than I do here! Americans love everything fast, cheap and all in one place, here I have to spend half the day going from store to store trying to get all my errands done! This may seem like I’m complaining about my new home, but these are just differences that I’m sure that I’m going to learn to love.

I promise from now on I will do a better job at keeping this page updated with new pictures and commentary of my adventures during my time in Roma!