Be honest. As soon as you think about Rome the first image you get are the montages of Lizzie McGuire on the back of the Paolo's vespa whizzing around as Vitamin C sings "Volare". Need to refresh your memory? Seriously, watch the video <-- (do it, click the link) first then come back. It doesn't matter if you've taken every history class known to man or every art and architecture class, it is the scene you want to re-enact and live. Now I may not have met a tall, dark, and handsome Italian pop star while making my wish and tossing my euro in the Trevi Fountain but I did get to "Rome" around (Aha, see what I did there? Punny, I know) with one of my oldest friends and two new ones.
My friend Aleena, who I've known since kindergarden, happens to be studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark this semester. For her fall break she and her friend from her study abroad program Aly took a whirlwind Italy trip. They started off in Milan, visited Venice, and then came to stay in Florence for three days where I took them around and showed them my home town for the semester. On Thursday the three of us along with my friend Tyler, who is also from Hawaii and studying abroad with me here in Florence, hopped on a train and headed to Rome. It was a pretty quick train ride to Rome, although I did fall asleep as soon as the train pulled out of the station. We went hard on their last night in Florence and I definitely needed the hour and a half nap on the train.
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| Aly, Lucia, Erin, me, and Aleena at Piazzale di Michelangelo |
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| Erin, me, Aleena, and Lucia at Santa Croce |
We got to Rome around noon and checked into our hostel. The weather was not the nicest and the skies were gray and angry-looking. We decided to make our way to the Colosseum as we wanted to spend a good chunk of time there and not have to rush ourselves the next day. It was like something out of a movie. We turned a corner, walked down a small street with little shops and vespas zipping around and then BAM there it was right in front, the Colosseum in all of its fantastic glory. It is absolutely massive and just spectacular to see with your own eyes. We all had to do double-takes and confirm with each other that yes, we are at the THE Colosseum.
We literally raced down to get to the ticket stand to purchase our entrance ticket. Having the ability to go inside and walk around the Colosseum takes it to a whole new level. Coming and knowing the history behind the Colosseum, I think appreciated it so much more. If I can suggest anything at all before traveling to Italy is to read up and learn about the places and things you want to see. It makes the experience so much more meaningful and you will literally have your mind blown. We spent a good amount of time in the Colosseum, walking around, sitting, just taking it all in. By the time we were ready to leave it was perfect as the sky started to go dark and even angrier and our stomachs called for food.
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| Aleena, me, Aly, and Tyler |
Aly has friends who had studied in Rome in a previous semester and they had passed along a list of delicious yet student-budget friendly restaurants. We picked one and we were not disappointed. For €10 you could choose a pasta first course, primi, and a poultry main dish, secondi. Portions were great and so was the food. After dinner we decided to call it a night and head back to the hostel to get some much needed sleep and recharging for our next day.
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| Carbonara |
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| Pollo e peperoni |
Thanks to Aly for letting me use some of her pictures!
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