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Rome

For me, going to Rome became the ultimate realization that I had made it to Italy. I have learned about Rome and the influence that the empire had over the world since elementary school. I never would have fathomed that in my early 20’s I would be stepping back into history and seeing historical sights like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City. The hostel we were staying at was in prime location but the Vatican was easier to get to using the subway so we purchased 6 euro tickets that we could use for the day and I would recommend that to anyone traveling to see the sights. Although everything is in walking distance it was a lot easier to hop on the subway and ride it to the next destination instead of wandering the streets trying to use a map and getting lost.

The Vatican was first on our list and as I entered St. Peter’s Square my jaw dropped. Religious views aside I highly recommend anyone to visit the holy city to at least see the beautiful architecture. Unfortunately, do to the late time of day that we got there we were unable to go in and see St. Peter’s Basilica but seeing the outside was just enough. If the architecture was this beautiful on the outside I cannot imagine how beautiful everything is going to be on the inside. The next trip to Rome will be to experience the Basilica and hopefully (fingers crossed) see the Pope!

After the Vatican, we hopped back on to the subway and went to the Spanish Steps. This was the only tourist attraction that we had no background knowledge on. Regardless though, we went to experience it and boy am I glad that we did. The steps are the widest all across Europe and were littered with people talking, eating gelato, and taking pictures. Climbing the stairs and stepping carefully around the people the steps led to a beautiful church and impressive piece of architecture. Once we climbed to the top there were many artists selling their paintings and a beautiful view of the steps and the fountain down below. In May, one of the artists told me that the paths leading up to the steps are covered in flowers and it is amazing. Picturing it in my mind, I had to agree.

The last stop for us on Saturday was the elusive Trevi Fountain (Fontana Di Trevi). I say it is elusive because if one did not have directions to go there and know to turn down a side street to a neighborhood people would not know it was even there. It is off the beaten path of the city one would say and that is one of the reasons I liked it the most. Here in this neighborhood surrounded by restaurants, gelato shops, and souvenir shops is this massive fountain that is intricate in detail and impressively beautiful. One of my first thoughts upon arriving and seeing it for my own eyes was how much more the Trevi Fountain was in person than anyone could ever describe. Of course, my girlfriends and I went down the steps into the crowds of people trying to get a picture with the monument and flip our coins into the fountain making our wishes. My grandmother told me that when I flip my coin into the fountain I’m supposed to wish to be able to one day go back to Rome. Whether or not that will end up happening, I was happy to flip my coin into the fountain because every day it is stopped for one hour as the Roman Catholic charity Caritas uses the money (3,000 euros nightly) to run programs that help the needy and oppressed in over 200 countries/territories worldwide. It is satisfying to think that not only are people making wishes to one day come back to such a beautiful place but helping people in need while they are at it.

On Sunday, the day started out with rain as we made our way to the Colosseum. Seeing the structure I felt like I was transported back into time and was half expecting to see Julius Caesar inviting the gladiators out to start the bloodshed. I was amazed that after all of these years how much the structure was intact. After touring the Colosseum and seeing the place where so many have lost their lives we made our way to the Ancient City which consisted of the Roman Forum and many other ruins of historical sights. Rome to me, is very similar to New York City a lot of cars, people, and in my opinion Americanized with the McDonald’s every five blocks or so. Looking out at the Roman Forum and all of the ruins it was the first time I felt completely removed from the city and knew that this was the part of Rome that I loved the most. With heavy hearts we had to make our way back home to Siena and had to say goodbye to Rome for now. But our first week of teaching lay ahead of us so we were anxious and excited to finally enter the classroom for the first time..

The Beginning Part 2

As all of the students stood there with their luggage and the air was thick with excitement and nervousness as we were about to meet the people we would be spending the next four months with. When I heard my name called and saw my host mom walk up a sense of relief washed over me when she gave me a big warm smile. I excitedly started to talk to her when I realized she did not know any English. It was at that moment that I realized it was going to be a full Italian immersion experience whether I was ready for it or not. She drove us to the city center and to her apartment. Carrying my bags up the several flights of stairs I could not wait to reach my new home. When we reached the top of the stairs and I saw the view of the entire city of Siena I fell in love. Walking into the apartment I was surprised to see another American girl in the hallway. My host mom, Stefania was also hosting another student who was attending the University of Siena and was from Boston. Words can not express how grateful I was to have another English speaker in the house and someone to relate to the experience I was going through.

The next day, the group of students met and did paperwork for the school and explored the city as we were trying to grasp where we were. The day ended with an apparativo, which is where restaurants will serve appetizers of bread, olive oil, cheese, bruschetta and wine. This gave all of us the opportunity to figure out which students lived within the city walls and which students who lived outside and had to take a bus. We also spent the majority of the night swapping stories of the experiences we had so far with our host families.

On Monday, school started with three hours of intensive Italian in the morning and a tour/history lesson of Siena in the afternoon. For me, I was also trying to keep up with my online classes as school started earlier at NAU than at the Siena School for Liberal Arts. The class of Intensive Italian was interesting because I virtually knew zero Italian and yet here I was sitting in class with teachers speaking solely in Italian. Needless to say my brain hurt every night that I went to bed. This routine continued for the next two weeks as we were steadily adjusting to our new lives in Siena. I would be lying if I said I was not homesick those first three weeks. Luckily, I had an amazing support system with my friends and we all leaned heavily on each other when thinking of home became too difficult. After staying in Siena for two weekends in a row I was itching to start exploring and see what the rest of Italy had to offer. I love to travel but due to the rain we were not able to go away until the weekend that we decided to pack our backpacks and head to Rome..

The Beginning

Part 1.

Four Sundays ago, I boarded a plane with two of my friends to travel halfway around the world and start the adventure of a lifetime. This semester I am studying abroad in Siena, Italy a pretty medieval town three hours north of Rome. The past four weeks have been a whirlwind as I have tried to adjust to the language barrier, culture shock, and getting my bearings of living in another country. I am part of a program that has nine other education majors that have the opportunity to teach English in the elementary schools. An NAU Professor, Dr. Barbara Veltri is also here to teach us as well as being a mentor for when we go into the classroom. When I first arrived with my friends, Emily and Beka we stayed in Florence for two days before meeting up with the rest of the group.

Florence was a bustling city with many tourists and beautiful architecture. The Duomo (Cathedral) was massive not only in size but in the amount of paintings, frescoes, and mosaic tiles that adorned the church. We were able to climb the to the top of the Duomo and see an incredible view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. From there, we met the rest of the students who would be attending the Siena School for Liberal Arts at the Florence Airport and took an hour bus ride to a local Agriturismo .

During this time we had orientation for the school, met the rest of the students (about 30 of us total) and had our first glimpse of the Italian food and wine we would be having for the next several months. This Agriturismo is a family run and mostly organic winery and farm. It is located 5 km from San Gimignano, a Tuscan version of New York City where the “skyscrapers” are in fact medieval towers dating back to the twelfth century. San Gimignano is a quaint little town that gives off the illusion of a time long ago where one could just sit outside and appreciate where they were and the people they were with. After touring San Gimignano it was time for the students to meet their host families..