Written by Italy & Greece Students, Zane & Justin
We arrived in Rome after a four-hour FlixBus ride from Siena and split off into two groups after sending our bags to the monastery we’re staying at by taxi. One group walked an hour to the monastery and got Chinese food, and the other took the metro and got some Italian food. The next day we had lunch at a fancy restaurant that Mary booked called La Villetta dal 1920 where we got giant bowls and platters of pasta and absolutely destroyed an assortment of their signature desserts (tiramisu in a Moka coffee pot, egg custard poured over Nutella and gelato and berries, a pistacchio brioche filled with cream, and a sour cherry tart). Then we went on a three-hour walking tour with Ettore, learning about the history of Rome and its architecture. What stood out was how building materials residual marble have been recycled throughout Roman, medieval, and more modern times. Ettore showed us a gelateria called Fatamorgana, and we had some amazing chocolate, prune, and rum gelato among many other flavors. After the tour, we split up and wandered around Rome seeing some sights and eating dinner.
The next day we went to lunch at Emma, a famous Italian restaurant that food critics have raved about. Again, Mary booked this place after asking her friends for recommendations so thanks Mary! Some students decided to take public transit, which was an adventure with severely delayed buses and people speaking all sorts of languages piling in like sardines. We shared some supplì for our antipasti. Then, apart from one calzone, we each got a pizza, which is what Emma is known for. They also listed exactly what is in each dish and where it’s sourced from to show the quality of the ingredients on the menu.
In the afternoon we went to the Vatican, but a couple of us missed the entrance time. They needed to pick up laundry all the way back at the monastery or went to the wrong place and couldn’t search up the correct place because of no SIM cards or WiFi. We saw mummies and sarcophagi in the Vatican which we didn’t know they had. We wanted to beeline to Capelle Sistina, but we didn’t find paper maps and just had to follow signs for something somewhere. There were giant hallways lined with frescos, Roman busts, statues, carved gold leaf panels, and relics of every kind. The grandeur would even put Versailles to shame. Eventually, after a rather plain corridor, we turned the corner, went down some steps and entered the jam-packed Sistine Chapel. We saw the iconic God and Adam reaching out to each other but didn’t really understand the other frescos there. Soon we were leaving, and most of the museum group went to get bagels at Mammo. Unfortunately, we realized later that we didn’t see the Pietà by Michelangelo, which is in Basilica di San Pietà, and we also didn’t and then couldn’t check how entering it would work.
Our last full day was a slower day for everyone. Some people stayed in most of the day. Some went and got Indian/Nepalese food and boba for lunch. Some went to the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese, which is a giant park with water features and a few museums sprinkled around. Some also went to see the Capuchin Crypts where bones of the deceased have been arranged into elaborate designs. Something notable that happened is that we saw a pickpocketing happen right in front of us to an aloof American. Four guys walked onto a metro and distracted the man by asking him questions and left at the next stop after taking something out of the victims pockets. For dinner, cacio é pepe, artichoke pizza, and McDonalds were on the menu in the group.
Then, we had our travel day which was a seven hour Flixbus and van from Rome to our home for the next week called Masseria La Fiorita near Matera. Most of us got KFC or McDonald’s that morning while at the station.
Our Highlights of the Week:
A highlight was definitely Gelateria La Romana, which we went out of our way to go to. It had the best gelato that we had the entire trip, beating out even La Strega Nocciola in Florence. They had both traditional and experimental flavors like pistacchio and yogurt but also their special suggested combo of ruby & caramel bon bon and farcito 5 (essentially chocolate raspberry).
But growth always comes with challenge … how did you grow this week?
Transportation in Rome was challenging for the group. No SIM cards meant asking locals in Italian, using free WiFi when we could and planning out transit routes on the go. I found myself lost a couple of times wandering Rome. The most notable was when my map directions took me on a hour walk to ‘Vatican City’ a vacation rental service instead of the museum. Traveling without an easy connection to our phone GPS was a big challenge during our time in Rome.
What are you grateful for this week?
I am grateful for being able to witness the history of Rome in front of my very eyes. The ruins of the city that have been there for hundreds of years were inspiring to hear about. So many statues, pieces of art and places of worship from ages ago mixed in with new modern buildings. Rome was the perfect blend of the ancient world and a new city, and I’m happy I was able to see it.
