Last Night In Roma

I'm safely in Santorini, but before I start talking about Greece, I have to wrap up a few things about Rome!

On our last night in Rome, my roommates and I decided to go out for a special dinner and then to walk around to some of the major tourist-y spots for a photo shoot and to finally throw our coins in the Trevi Fountain.

We went to a cute restaurant in Piazza Navona (my favorite Piazza!). They gave us free glasses of champagne which was also a plus.

Final toast to our time in Roma!

I finally had bruschette for the first time in Rome (and on my last night nonetheless) and also had the most delicious spicy pasta.

Amazing

After that, we wandered around Piazza Navona admiring Bernini's Fountain of the 4 Rivers. We headed over to the Pantheon and took a few pictures there. We wandered past the Spanish Steps on our way to the Trevi Fountain and then reached our final destination.

I'm sure most of you have heard the story of how if you throw 3 coins into the Trevi Fountain you ensure your return to Rome. Of course, we had to take part!

Roommates at the Trev

Yay! Now I can come back to Roma....next summer, Mom?!

More about the last week in Rome later...

Everything Is More Fun In Rome

...even simple things, like grocery shopping!

Yesterday, my roommates and I headed down the block to the open air market (mercato trionfale) to check out some of the local vendors. It was so amazing! My one roommate Erica described it as "Reading Terminal Market [in Philadelphia] on crack." I have to say, she is right.

This market was incredible. It was humongous and the prices were great. We bought a ton of fruit for under 2 euros. We bought fresh bread and pasta. The market also sold all kinds of poultry, fish, beef, cheeses and wine. We bought 3 bottles of wine for 6 euros! You can't beat that.

Bread and pastries

Wine

After, we bought a few things at the market we headed up the block to our local grocery store. It was such an adventure looking at all the different brands, and comparing it to what the item would be in America. It cracks me up that the only cream cheese we saw in all of Rome so far is Philadelphia Cream Cheese. So funny!

The roommates and I made a delicious dinner with all our new food from the market. We made pasta with tomato sauce, salad, bread and oil. Delicious!

Dinner

Later that night, Andrea Bocelli was performing a benefit concert for the earthquake last month at the Coliseum, so we headed over there to see if we could hear anything. We got there too late, but we had a great time hanging out at the bars in the area. The Coliseum at night is just breathtaking.

Coliseum

Today was the first day of classes...more on that later!

Todi and Titignano

As part of orientation, on Sunday, we took a day trip to Todi, a medieval hill town in Umbria in central Italy. It was about an hour and a half bus ride through the beautiful countryside. My pictures don't even do the beautiful landscape justice!

Todi

We arrived in Todi and had to walk up a very steep hill. It was worth it when we got to the top though, because the view was breathtaking! We wandered around the small town and saw a gothic cathedral and looked around the shops.

At the top of the hill in Todi

Cathedral

After Todi, we got back on the bus and traveled to Titignano to have a 12 course feast at an old manor. We were truly in the country...I had taken a nap on the bus and when I woke up, we were traveling on a dirt road!

The feast included food like lamb, proscuitto, pasta with wild boar meat, chicken, risoto, and lots of wine! I'm a very picky eater, but I'm proud to say that I tried lamb for the first time.

It was great to see the contrast between the bustling city of Rome and the quiet Italian countryside. I think I prefer the city right now, but I can imagine how the countryside could be a relaxing retreat for city dwellers.

When In Rome...

Another great day in Roma!

Today, I woke up and headed to school for a bit of an orientation. I felt much more comfortable navigating the city and the culture after the presentation. One really funny thing that Gianni, one of the Temple Rome guys said regarding safety in Rome was, "In Roma.....we don't....umm, kill people? You know, we don't shoot people like in Philadelphia. We just have pickpockets." Everyone in the room cracked up. Sad, but true statement about Philly!

After that, we broke into smaller groups and took a walking tour of Rome. It wasn't really a historical tour like I thought it would be; It was more of a practical tour teaching us how to get around, how to find things, and how to speak Italian in some of those places. It was really helpful.

Pretty flowers

After that we headed to the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). So beautiful! It was just like I've seen in pictures and movies. We didn't throw a coin in the fountain yet to ensure a return to Roma. We are planning to do it at night when the fountain is all lit up and sparkling.

Incredible!

We were tired and sweaty after the afternoon, so we headed back to our Residence to rest for a bit. It is SO hot during the day in Rome! At night, it's the perfect temperature, though!

We knew we wanted to go to a cute restaurant for dinner, but we weren't sure where to go, so we asked the security guard at our building. It was really the first time that I attempted a full conversation in Italian, and it went really well! It felt awesome to be able to actually communicate in another language. Thanks to his suggestion, we headed to La Rustichella. I misread the menu and thought I was ordering a large Coke, but actually ordered a large LITER of Coke...oops. Luckily, the table shared.

The very large Coke

We all ordered some gelato, and I got some delicious lemon sorbet. It tasted just like Polish Water Ice which is my absolutely favorite snack to eat down the shore.

After dinner, we wandered over towards Vatican City. My mind was absolutely blown by how beautiful the Vatican is. I can't wait to go there during the day, and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Pope.

In front of the Vatican

Tomorrow, we are going to the medieval hilltown of Todi to walk around and have a traditional 4 hour and 12 course meal...lots and lots of food.

More to come on Todi, and some photos of my awesome Italian apartment!