Ciao

So, I’ve decided on a mandatory return to Italy very soon. There is so much more of this country I want to see. I would love to stay in Florence for more than 6 hours, and see the northern cities of Milan and Venice. My day in Florence was absolutely amazing. I climbed the 463 steps to the top of the duomo, the tallest building in the city, which happens to be the most ornate church I have ever been in. I bought some Italian leather and silk in the city market, and I had a fantastic salmon pasta for lunch. Oh, and the statue of David is quite impressive too.

My journeys in Italy have come to an end. Bittersweet. This country is absolutely amazing, and I would love to bring that special someone back here someday to share it with. Italy is such a country for lovers. Screw Virginia. On the other hand, I cannot wait to be home tomorrow night with my friends who I have missed dearly.

A good night’s sleep and 14 hours of flying are all that stand between me and being back in North Carolina.

Can we have Italian MTV in the United States?

So I was supposed to go to Naples for the day today, but TrenItalia decided to screw me out of a ticket this morning when their trains broke down. So instead, I wondered around Rome, yet again, even though it’s Monday, and all the museums act like Chickfila on a Sunday. I did get to watch the Italian dignitaries on the Spanish steps deliver a memorial speech in memory of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down.

I also discovered that the bakery across the street makes kickass tiramisu...which I have had 2 pieces of today. On the other end of the culinary spectrum, I had the nastiest meal so far in my trip. If only I knew the Italian word for tuna, I would not have settled for a pizza with cold, canned tuna, spicy mozzerella, and spinach. Let’s hope my last day in this country tomorrow is filled with better culinary choices than that.

The highlight of my day? Watching 2 hours of Italian MTV. And when I say Italian MTV, I mean American MTV dubbed in Italian. Cheesy, over-acted Italian. Paris Hilton had the voice of an energetic Donatella Versace, and all of Daddy’s Girls were obviously not black. I will miss watching this before my mid-afternoon naps.

Tomorrow, I am going to Florence with the family, then finally going home to be with my family of friends in Raleigh on Wednesday. Encouragement is still greatly appreciated to keep my spirits up through the next few days.

1 week from now, I’ll be in New York apartment hunting. YES.

I realized why I like Rome. Their favorite color is purple.

Today has been a day of ups and downs. The weather has been rainy, my mood has been down. On the upside, Amanda came into town today. We had a fun day “rome”ing around Rome (bahaha I made a funny), and she treated me to a wonderful lunch at a charming restaurant down a back alley that we stumbled upon. And...I had a nutella crepe. Heaven. on. Earth. This needs no further description.

The food in Italy is incomparable to anywhere I’ve ever been. Tonight I had a veal and mushroom dish topped with eggplant and goat cheese. Wowzers. I would get so fat if I had to eat the food they eat every day. On top of that, it is often expected to consume a 4 course meal every day. And by course, I mean meal in itself. For instance, one meal I had gnocchi as my first course, roasted beef in white wine for my second course, salad for my third course, and a fruit bowl for my last course. How do these people do this every day!?

I’ve decided tomorrow I will go off on my own to Naples. It is only a 2 hour train ride, and I have quite frankly seen enough of Rome in the past 4 days. Tuesday I will be in Florence, and Wednesday, I will be home. Back with my friends.

A new world lies across the ocean...

Homesick

Today I have really started missing everyone back in the US. My close friends have become the most important part of my life in the past few months, and to be away is surprisingly hard. You guys are the thing that keep me going every day. I love you guys more than I can say, and for that reason I cannot wait to be back in the US next week.

I am by no means complaining that I am in Italy though. Today was beautiful, perfect weather. I walked around the Vatican for hours this morning, and after miles of walking, I found myself sitting in the Sistine Chapel, neck crooked for close to an hour just admiring the impeccable work of Michelangelo. These are the moments I live for.

My other goal in my independent exploration of Rome today was to get completely lost on purpose. I wondered aimlessly down narrow streets, stumbling upon the occasional open-air market amidst overpriced clothing stores. I had the best gelato I have ever had, probably because I got a buzz off of the extreme amount of rum in the tiramisu flavored

treat.

This evening my family went to bed rather early, so yet again I went on an exploration of Rome. I so badly want to go out to the bars, but either they turn out to be creepy leather bars or bars with hidden darkrooms (and we all know what they use those for...).

Why is it that everyone in this city (aside from the occasional redneck American tourists) is so pretty and they all dress like they are in Vogue? I think Americans need to learn this concept, that every moment in public is an opportunity for fashion. But, yet again, I need that kind of fashion nonsense in my life to keep me entertained.

Tomorrow, I am hanging out with Amanda Bitler! Yay for friends that study abroad. 3 more days in this country, then making the trek back home where each of you should expect the biggest embrace ever. I MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH.

So I stumbled upon the Apostle Paul today...

So the whole thing I said about Rome not being the prettiest place I’ve been...I lied. Apparently yesterday I was just missing the good stuff. We got up early this morning to go on a private guided car tour of Rome, and it was SO worth the early wakeup call. I saw all the major cool things in Rome...the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, etc. But man, so much about today surprised me.

First off, Michelangelo designed so much in this city. I discovered his statue of Moses (one of his 3 famous statues) in a church, as well as these amazing steps that lead up to Rome’s capital hill. The statue of Moses fascinated me with its creepy horns and overall massiveness, but something else in that same church took my attention away. Amidst portraits and altars honoring saints, and right in the middle? The grim reaper. Yes. A lit up altar, framing a terrible image of the grim reaper. Is this the catholic church reminding themselves that there are demons? Very peculiar.

In one of the basilicas today, I also stumbled upon the grave of the apostle Paul. WHAT?! It was so casually matter-of-fact that they had the remains of Paul, along with the chains he was bound in the last years of his life. So. Amazing. It intrigues me that people live and walk among these artifacts every day, taking them for granted like its just another Starbucks on the corner (of which they have none, actually).

One of my last jaw dropping moments of the day was a pretty big oversight on my part. Guess who I forgot lived in Rome? Good old Julius Caesar. Suddenly I found myself standing at these steps, and realizing I was looking at the very spot where Julius Caesar was murdered on the Ides of March. These are the moments I cherish the most.

Tonight I was able to catch a show at a local theatre, a sort of variety show that I had no expectation going in to. Although I understand little Italian, the show was quite hilarious and reminded me of old American variety hours on television, full of singing, dancing, and comedy routines. They did bits from the musicals Cabaret, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge, but added quite a nice touch to them. Imagine Lady Marmalade and the Cell Block Tango as a dance techno remixes, complete with modern dance interpretation. It was probably my favorite part of the show. That and the Italian eye candy...oh boy.

Lastly, my one major accomplishment today? Aside from spending way too much on Italian clothes? I carried a full conversation in Italian with the ticket agent at the theatre, understood everything she said, and I think I had her convinced I was fluent. VICTORY!

3 more days in Rome, 1 day in Florence, 5 days in Raleigh, then I’m home. New York City. Times are NOT shitty.

So I stumbled upon the Apostle Paul today...

So the whole thing I said about Rome not being the prettiest place I’ve been...I lied. Apparently yesterday I was just missing the good stuff. We got up early this morning to go on a private guided car tour of Rome, and it was SO worth the early wakeup call. I saw all the major cool things in Rome...the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, etc. But man, so much about today surprised me.

First off, Michelangelo designed so much in this city. I discovered his statue of Moses (one of his 3 famous statues) in a church, as well as these amazing steps that lead up to Rome’s capital hill. The statue of Moses fascinated me with its creepy horns and overall massiveness, but something else in that same church took my attention away. Amidst portraits and altars honoring saints, and right in the middle? The grim reaper. Yes. A lit up altar, framing a terrible image of the grim reaper. Is this the catholic church reminding themselves that there are demons? Very peculiar.

In one of the basilicas today, I also stumbled upon the grave of the apostle Paul. WHAT?! It was so casually matter-of-fact that they had the remains of Paul, along with the chains he was bound in the last years of his life. So. Amazing. It intrigues me that people live and walk among these artifacts every day, taking them for granted like its just another Starbucks on the corner (of which they have none, actually).

One of my last jaw dropping moments of the day was a pretty big oversight on my part. Guess who I forgot lived in Rome? Good old Julius Caesar. Suddenly I found myself standing at these steps, and realizing I was looking at the very spot where Julius Caesar was murdered on the Ides of March. These are the moments I cherish the most.

Tonight I was able to catch a show at a local theatre, a sort of variety show that I had no expectation going in to. Although I understand little Italian, the show was quite hilarious and reminded me of old American variety hours on television, full of singing, dancing, and comedy routines. They did bits from the musicals Cabaret, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge, but added quite a nice touch to them. Imagine Lady Marmalade and the Cell Block Tango as a dance techno remixes, complete with modern dance interpretation. It was probably my favorite part of the show. That and the Italian eye candy...oh boy.

Lastly, my one major accomplishment today? Aside from spending way too much on Italian clothes? I carried a full conversation in Italian with the ticket agent at the theatre, understood everything she said, and I think I had her convinced I was fluent. VICTORY!

3 more days in Rome, 1 day in Florence, 5 days in Raleigh, then I’m home. New York City. Times are NOT shitty.

Day 1 in the land of 600,000 scooters

Yes. 600,000 scooters in the city of Rome. Scooter population control anyone?

Anyways.

13 hours of flying, an hour and a half of Italian traffic...and I’m finally in Rome. ROME.

I will first say, that was probably the most amazing flight overseas I have had in a long time. I watched two GREAT movies...500 Days of Summer and Away We Go, I re-read The Laramie Project, AND Delta was so amazing that their in-flight CD selection included Next to Normal...so I may have indulged myself in that a few times through. Did I sleep on this overnight flight? Nope.

Many people who have been here before have told me it is the most beautiful place I will ever see. So far, I beg to differ, although I have not escaped the urban chaos that is Rome. The architecture here, however, is incredible. Every single building has so much character...so much history. To only know what they have seen...the people they have housed...the historical events they have been a part of. I have to keep pinching myself to remind me I’m not in Busch Gardens Williamsburg about to ride Apollo’s Chariot. Everyone, at some point in their life, needs to stand in front of the Colosseum and just tune the world out. Look at those arches and imagine who walked through those same arches hundreds of years ago. Realize the history that happened at that spot...the people that died. Incredible.

On a different note...almost everyone here speaks English. I have not yet encountered any language barrier. I make a valiant effort to use my bare knowledge of Italian, but they never fail respond in English. This is either a courtesy in realizing that I am American, or an epic fail on my part in that my Italian must suck so much that they don’t even give me a chance in their native tongue. The prevalence of English, however, saddens me. The culture here is SO rich, it seems to detract from it when I see English everywhere...and McDonald’s on every corner...but it does make my vacation much easier.

So today? I saw the Fontana di Trevi and the Colosseo. I ate pizza, gnocchi, and gelato. I had espresso and fantastically dry white wine. Let’s do it again tomorrow.

ps - the fashion over here? Wowzers. It is going to take some serious diligence to keep from blowing my entire budget on clothes.