Back home in
Rome
A few months ago
my friend Grace and I stayed in for a movie night. We ordered pizza from“The Slice of New York,” but after just one
bite, we were on the computer looking up flights to Italy.
The only cure
for being Romesick is a prescription of homemade pizza, gelato, and a huge carafe
of vino della casa.
Having studied
abroad for a semester at the American University of Rome, I was elated to go
back to Italy. My internal map kicked right back in. I easily navigated us though
the winding cobblestone streets, effortlessly finding my favorite local hot
spots, as if I never left.
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| The ole study abroad roommates |
I am happy to
report how Rome has progressed over the past couple of years.
The train
station Termini has installed an automated ticket line! Speaking as someone who
has missed multiple trains by just minutes due to the inefficiency of
purchasing tickets, this is a huge deal.
Additionally the tram line is in the process of being extended. From my experience bus
schedules are practically non-existent in Rome and they are completely unreliable. Drivers stop
to take long smoking breaks mid shift, and due to the heavy traffic and narrow
streets, buses having accidents is a common occurrence. Without any
type of announcement everyone just knows to exit the bus. The two drivers will
undoubtedly be hashing it out, placing blame on each other for the next 30
minutes.
Rome, would not
be Rome without the sound of car horns in the air and mopeds weaving in and out
of the lanes, but I gladly welcome the extension of the tram line. It will hopefully
ease the traffic congestion, allow for easier transportation around town, and
eliminate the uneasy feeling that you are perpetually stuck as the character Frogger from the video game dodging cars left and right.
Sadly I must
report that one of my favorite restaurants “Sergios”(still
unclear of its real name, but we called it Sergios after the owner,) has closed.
Our weekend
could not have gone smoother. We splurged and stayed in a wonderful hotel that
included a delicious breakfast, it was such a treat.
Our first day in
Italy, we headed via high-speed train to Florence. We meandered our way towards
the Ponte Vecchio bridge,
and saw everything along the way. We climbed up to the top of the Duomo, which
I have always wanted to do. Nearly 500 steps up, through winding staircases,
and narrow passageways we made it to the top, with views for miles.
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| On top of the Duomo |
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| Stairs up to the top |
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| Outside the Duomo |
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| Pig nose for good luck |
In the leather
market I bargained our way to buying two beautiful Italian leather coats from a
man named Jaad. His continued flattery and positive commentary really boosted our.
My favorite part
of the day obviously involved food. I sampled different cheeses, olives,
desserts and oils in the food stalls of the open air market (only to find out you
are supposed to purchase a sampling card, and got slightly reamed out by a shop
owner.)
We ate a simple
lunch of doughy ficotchia bread, with juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and
basil leaves. For dessert we sampled frittelle, fired balls of rice
rolled in sugar. Before heading back to Rome for the night, we walked through a chocolate festival that stretched almost 2 city blocks.
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| My favorite cookies filled with nutella |
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| Frittelle |
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| Cannolis |
As the old adage goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” but we
proved that it’s possible to see it in a day. We awoke Saturday morning and did
a marathon tour covering all the sights. Starting at Campo di Fiori (with a
short stop at the cat sanctuary), we headed to Piazza Narvona, and then to the
Pantheon for Gelato at Della Palma. From
there we crossed town to the Victor Emmanuel Monument, The Colossium, The Forum,
Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Gianicolo Park, the Twin Churches, The, Villa Borghese
Gardens, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Castle Sant Angelo, and of course
wandered my favorite area of Trasdevere.
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| "Wishin' and hopin' and dreamin'" |
We even somehow
found the time to visit my old apartment and Universtity located in the area of
Monetverde. On Sunday morning we wandered the Porto
Portese market, the
largest (and in my opinion the strangest) flea markets in all of Europe.
For the
remainder of the weekend we wined and dined.
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| Cece bean soup |
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| Roasted red peppers |
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| Margherita pasta at Montecarlos |
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| Amazing Sfogliatelle pastry |
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| Italian Cappuccino |
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| Pesto and ricotta cheese bruschetta |
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| Pizza with bufala cheese from Dar Poeta |
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| Dar Poeta |
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| Chips and beer from Bir and Fud |
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| Gelato from Della Palma (over 100 flavors to choose from) |
Having lived in
Rome, and visited Florence a handful of times, I always manage to see,
do, and taste new things every time. After only 3 days in Italy, I left craving
more.
The reality that
I only have a few short months left in Spain is starting to weigh heavily on me. I am not finished seeing and learning all there is from
Europe and Spain, but until the end is here I am going to enjoy every minute of this wild ride.
In the words of Kenny Chesney,
"One of these days
Were guna have to grow up
Have to get real jobs and be adults, someday
Just not today
Have to worry about things out of our control
Like kids, love, and money and gettin old, someday
Just not today, just not today"
