Be a Traveler, Not a Tourist

My very wise friend Esteban sent me a message yesterday that said, “Remember to be a traveler, not a tourist”. I thought it was a very interesting concept that arrived to me at the perfect moment. While in Rome, I have yet to see a few major landmarks and have admittedly spent more time out at night than during the day. I was beginning to question if I was missing out on lacing up my sneakers and cramming my way through the packs of people by the coliseum or Trevi Fountain. This comment gave me a wave of reassurance that I’m not here in Rome to be an extended tourist, I’m here to live and study like the Romans!

a hidden gem

Each landmark I’ve come in contact with so far has been an incredible experience that arrived leisurely, not forced into my first week abroad. I would never change how we stumbled across the Pantheon at 3am and were completely captivated by it’s massive presence. Standing at the front entrance under gorgeous lights with literally not another soul in sight was powerful. It was a personal experience that wasn’t found in a guidebook or photo bombed by a pushy tourist. I don’t have a picture of me smiling in front of its beautiful columns; instead I have a memory of actually meeting and experiencing this wonder on my own terms.

Casey and Avery in the park

I’m fortunate enough to have some friends that share my philosophy on allowing these moments to occur spontaneously as well, which lead us to an adventure yesterday! On a whim Casey, Avery, and I hopped on a bus and wound up in the Trastevere. We stumbled upon a gorgeous view and walked through a park filled with dogs (the thing I miss the most about home!). It was a hidden gem in a stone city! After walking around for a bit, Avery decided he desperately needed a haircut, so we spotted the first salon and went in. Dino’s was as authentic as Italian barbershops come. He spoke no English and only used scissors on Avery’s hair. It was a really neat experience, and we got to practice our new Italian skills.

Avery's first italian haircut!

Looking fresh!

Around 5:30pm we found ourselves back by the coliseum and excited by how gorgeous the weather still was! If I haven’t mentioned it, it rains all the time in Rome so beautiful weather must be taken advantage of. Always wanting to have the best view, Avery declared we absolutely had to climb to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument, aka the HUGE set of steps and columns in Piazza Venezia. This monument offers a spectacular 360-degree view of Rome from above! Sprinting up the steps, we made it to the ticket booth about 10 minutes before it closed and hopped in the glass elevator to ride up to the top (I tried not to look down). Once on top, we were with maybe four other people. The city was shifting gears right in front of our eyes: the tourists were flooding away and the nightlife was emerging.

This doesn't do the view justice.

We were so lucky to have a beautiful sunset of pinks, purples, and oranges as a backdrop for the unique skyline of Rome! From our perch we were able to see the edges of where old meets new and the integration of ancient monuments with busy streets. It was incredible, and with so few people around us (it whittled down to just us and one other couple), we felt like we had a private view of the eternal city. We spent about a half hour taking in the night and beautiful lights before descending with a feeling of accomplishment.  We walked around a bit and then randomly chose a restaurant for some dinner and vino! I’ll just add this to the ever-growing list of perfect moments Rome has granted me.

Taking it in...

There’s been nothing forced about my time in Rome so far and I’m happy to continue taking my time getting to know the city. This weekend, a friend that works in the Vatican offered to take me on a walking tour of the best but oftentimes ignored places in Rome! With the universe continuing to bless me with gifts like that, I feel like I must be doing something right with my time abroad! I’m slowly beginning to feel like the city’s embracing me as a traveler instead of a tourist, something that will continue to be my goal this semester!

The sunset over the Forum

The elevator! 

So beautiful at night

I Actually Study Here...

It’s Sunday afternoon in Rome; more specifically, it’s the end of another weekend and the beginning of a new school week. This translates to being a decently sized buzz kill in the life of a study abroad student. Don’t get me wrong I love to learn. I enjoy reading, I obviously love to write, and I even find a certain level of fun in getting tested on material. But ain’t nobody got time for four hours of Roman Lit inside an overheated class room, when the real material is breathing the fresh air outside. I’m genuinely trying to enjoy my classes at TU Rome, but whoever said, “your professors want you to experience the city of Rome, not spend your afternoons doing homework”, was on crack.

Piazza del Popolo: right near our campus! 

Joking aside, I absolutely love my Italian class and feel like I’m learning at a remarkable rate. Thursday nights have become mini exams at the pub when our friends test our newly acquired conversational Italian skills! My Italian professoressa is simply fantastic and makes an hour of class each day something to look forward to. My sketchbook class is dragging as of now, but that’s a result of it being taught like Art 1 in middle school. I have faith it’s going to pick up and we’ll get to do some independent work as opposed to contour line drawings. I am however quite excited for this coming Friday’s excursion to Tuscany for a whole day of sketching! All in all, the TU professors are engaging and I feel like there’s a lot of potential to grow as a student in Rome. My one request is that they lay off the 65 page reading assignments each night, or I learn to no longer require sleep.

Classroom artwork! 

One highlight of adopting a more normal schedule in Rome has been our decision to eat “Family Dinner” together! My five friends and I have been cooking together each night with great results. Avery continues to be top chef, making homemade ragus and lasagnas. My specialty continues to be roasting veggies and boiling water. Provo (I’m trying)!

Handcut pasta...so good!

The food here in Rome is so delicious, it’s overwhelming to explain. Everything is fresh and al dente! The best part has to be the little pizza shops. Unlike in the States, you don’t just order a triangular slice on a paper plate. The pies are long and rectangular. You point to your selection and using a pair of culinary scissors, they ask you how much, then cut it and heat it up! If you’re walking with it, they fold it in half and wrap it in wax paper so you can hold it in one hand. It’s brilliant and addictive! There are a million different types to try, each one better than the first! I’m hungry just thinking about it now…

Fresh selection daily! 

folded and wrapped

I’m also happy to report they DO have American style peanut butter here, dramatically overpriced, but still available. In a sea of Nutella obsessed friends (YUCK), a girl needs peanut butter in her pantry.

Random Highlights:

- I’m going to be a babysitter for a six-year-old Italian girl that’s trying to learn English!

- We booked our train and apartment for Carnival in Venice for the second week in February! I can’t wait to wear a mask and see another Italian city! Super excited!! 

- David Guetta is performing in Rome next weekend…debating purchasing tickets today.

- Our friend Brandon was so sloshed in a club this weekend that he came up to me and said, “You look so much better than you did last night”. He then proceeded to drunkenly yank my hair. This is not so much a highlight, but I feel the need to share its absurdity. Yes, he did intend for it to be a compliment… I think.

- Roman clubs blow, we're going to have to venture outside the city limits for the real deal. 

- I finally saw the Pantheon at night. This temple for “all gods” was so incredibly massive and stunning. The raw energy it emits was breathtaking. I can’t wait to visit it again in the daylight. Just, wow!

 I'm in love.

With one week of classes down, and somewhat of a schedule forming, I’m excited to say life in Roma remains sweeter than ever.  See for yourself below:

Homemade eggplant parm sandwiches!! 

I can't get enough of these twinkle lights. 

If You've Ever Been Lost in Todi...

Yesterday marked our first excursion outside the city of Rome! We woke up and boarded a bus at 8am to head to Todi, a medieval town about an hour and a half north. This TU sponsored event was amazing and made us keener on attending more organized trips. Our bus leader, Professor Huber, gave us a brief lecture on Italy’s current regionalism and political climate along the way; it was an added bonus and contrast to learning about the medieval history of Todi.

You'll find Todi north of Rome, under the BR in Umbria.

Todi is located in the rolling hills of the Umbria region; with the actual historic city enclosed behind massive stonewalls. The streets are incredibly narrow and despite the nasty weather, the views and atmosphere were picturesque.  My favorite sites were easily the three massive churches we toured. Tempio di san Fortunato was entirely made of stone and absolutely freezing inside. The original Roman Catholic artwork is still vibrant. 

The next, called Concattedrale della Santissima Annunziata aka Cattedrale, was my favorite. Inside there was a beautiful statue of Mother Mary that I was able to light a prayer candle under. Mary is my girl, so I was extremely pleased to offer my prayers to her so directly (this later came in handy…).

Of course, when it comes to Casey and me, nothing goes strictly by the book. After deciding we should split from our group and meander down our own path, we ended up climbing over four hundred steps (forget the Stairmaster, Todi is the most intense workout available), walked throughout a residential area, and eventually landed outside the city walls. We wound up at the most breathtaking church in Todi, Tempio di S. Maria della Consolazione. This church features a stunning domed ceiling and is massively beautiful. 

We were completely captivated by it’s beauty, and then equally horrified when we realized we had about seven minutes to get back to our bus stop and depart for lunch at Titignano. We were under the impression that we had been walking in the correct direction since 11:35am, a full 25 minutes before the mandatory meet up time. This was horribly, horribly wrong. After consulting our map, panicking, calling Avery (only to be scolded), and speaking with Professor Huber, we realized we were on the wrong side of the hill. With no one able to give us accurate directions, including those back at the bus and a Czechoslovakian circus worker (I’m serious…though we did manage to snag free tickets to the Circus), I logically began to run randomly ten feet in one direction, turn around, and then run twenty feet in the next while Casey watched. To Casey’s credit, she did prevent me from beginning to literally climb a mountain that I deemed to be a “short cut” over the hill. At 12:03pm, we found a store and by the grace of God, bumped into two beautiful Italian women that spoke English. After explaining our situation and asking for directions, they actually offered to drive us around the hill to our bus! Completely in shock to their generosity, we climbed into the back of their tiny fiat and they drove us around the hill to our bus!

In the Fiat backseat. 

After refusing to accept our ten-euro thank you, they kissed both our checks and sent us on our way, only seven minutes late! Our advisors looked on in shock as we ran from a random Fiat screaming “Mi dispiace! Mi dispiace! (I’m sorry!) We were so blown away by how kind those two angels were, although most Italians do seem to have this trait. I have to offer some thanks to Mary as well, who instantly answered my prayer for peace and protection to those I was traveling with and myself. In the end, we were not the only lost students (there were three others…) and we were on the road by 12:15pm! Everyone was a bit mad at us, but it is probably my favorite study abroad story yet!

Titignano can be summed up in the following phrase: food coma. We experienced a traditional Sunday feast made with entirely local produce! I sat at the Vegetarian and Gluten Free table, which sort of resembled a hipster gang. The food was delicious! My favorite part would have to be the local wine and blue cheese. I’ll post more info about our multiple courses in an additional blog on food (it’s important enough to warrant an entire individual entry…yum).

Walking into a cellar in Titignano

As I traveled the two plus hours back to Rome with Ed Sheeran playing through my headphones, I was struck by how exceptional the last week has been. So many of us have been anticipating these moments for a year or more. While some might think we’ve wasted our time experiencing the nightlife, I think we’ve just indulged ourselves in a dream come true. In just a week, we’ve met wonderful friends in the Trastevere, tried new foods at authentic restaurants, and hitchhiked in Umbria. There’s no other way to put it: I just love it here. 

I came home to Avery passed out in my bed for siesta. 

Cattedrale

You Only Live in Rome Once (YOLIRO)

As I sit here eating a slice of cold margherita pizza, the only thought that comes to mind is: today was a struggle. Welcome Week Roman style is rough on a college student, but when the wines so good you have to forge ahead (that’s code for peer pressure from Avery)!

With the weather being a little less than ideal, we’ve divided our time between The Abbey Theatre Irish Pub and our apartment bedrooms. Casey and I finally made it to a TU sponsored event this morning, but between being hung-over and getting lost, we arrived 45 minutes late. I also debated crawling into a hole and dying, but settled for wearing my sunnies indoors instead. Luckily, our advisor is cool and still helped us out / fixed Casey’s laptop.

on the struggle bus.

So what do 20-somethings studying abroad in Rome do at night? They drink. Literally, everyone and their mother will be out in the piazza at night with a drink in hand. There is no open-container law in Rome, meaning the Metro, sidewalks, and everywhere else is fair game for having a glass of wine or bottle of beer. College students come from everywhere to be here as well. We’ve met kids from all across the States, all over Australia, London and more.  It’s always fun to hear the mix of accents and the different slang. My mother said my dirty mouth would shock the Romans, but I don’t hold a candle to some of the non-American people we’ve met! You would be proud, Mama!

Beautiful!

We were told being openly drunk in Italy was frowned upon and very rare… this was a complete and total fabrication. People are drunk, and they are happy about it! Still, I think we’re all excited to be sober soon. Tonight is the final night of unofficial Welcome Week partying, with a TU planned excursion to a medieval castle on Sunday!

Some highlights of the nightlife so far include:

- On a street near the Trevi Fountain, Laura met an attractive Italian student and hit it off! After exchanging information, she received a facebook message from him reading, “Are you the true Laura of the Trevi Fountain?” Swoon.

- I met an Australian guy!

- We fell in love with a pub and now have a go-to place! We like the bartenders and they know how to make Red Headed Sluts.

- Danielle slept on the floor for a bit and Tom dressed up in my Phillies sports bra and panties. It was ridiculous and the photos are NSFW… or ever.
Besides drunkenly galavanting through the streets, we've also managed to see some beautiful sites and eat some delicious food. Here's the latest round up of photos documenting our experiences: 

Funhouse bathroom mirror! Wahou!

and that's how things progressed last night.

When in Rome (for the first 24 hours)

It has finally happened: I am officially living in Rome! It’s been around 36 hours since we landed in Italy, but it feels like enough has happened to fill a week. As my roommates sleep off their jetlag, I wanted to take a moment to record our activities. The consistent rain falling outside is perfect blogging weather!

We celebrated our arrival yesterday by going to lunch at the first restaurant we stumbled upon. The food was delicious but the wine stole the show. Vino della casa is sweet and totally different from back home, a happy surprise for me since I don’t normally care for wine!

Our very first bottles of Italian wine!

We decided it was worth it to fight sleep and go into the center of Rome for our first night! After Google Maps failed to be useful in anyway, we just wandered through the most enchanting streets until we found a pub that looked appealing. The cobblestone streets are often lined with twinkle lights and twist and turn randomly. There is no grid pattern like in Philadelphia and it’s quite easy to end up walking in circles.

We chose the Abbey Theatre Irish Pub due to my love for early Irish literature- this proved to be a great decision! We befriended the bartender and met some ex-pat 20-somethings that were full of fun and useful information about the city. Our new bartender friend Paul welcomed us to Rome with a pretty gnarly shot called a “Slutty Girl Scout” (we should probably be offended but considering my favorite shot in the US is a “Redheaded Slut”, I’ll let it slide). 

It tastes like a Thin Mint...

From there our night got a little rowdy despite being a Monday- Italian people are loud and like to squeeze right up against the bar. Ironically, we met an Italian guy who was about to purchase a house on Temple’s Campus to rent! We looked at the location and pictures and gave him some advice from a TU student’s point of view. In return he explained the Metro and taught us some useful phrases. The Metro closes at 11:30pm in Rome so we took a cheap cab back to our residence.

Today, the wine, liquor, and jetlag hit hard. We slept until 2pm but it was worth it, I feel like I’ve synced up with the current time here now! Avery, Casey and I took a five-minute walk to the Market and had fun looking at all the Italian food. I bought two different kinds of FANTASTIC cheese and some Fanta (in honor of it tasting so much better in Europe)!

Tonight we’re heading to the most endorsed pub in Rome called Scholars! Here are a few other pictures so far! Cin cin! 

Jack and Coke tastes a little sweeter abroad!

The Metro escalators 

At Abbey Theatre

Our elevator is tiny!

Sunglasses are a must, even in the rain #jetlag

morning after damage