I’ve been on a number of trips since I arrived in Florence almost four months ago, but I want to dedicate this post to my adventures in Rome. Before I get into the details, I should pay homage to the train system in Italy. Every weekend is a perfect opportunity to take a cheap day trip and compare the intricate differences between Florence and other cities in Italy. Prices for roundtrip tickets usually range from 25 to 60 euros. Here’s a video of the train window view from Rome back to Florence. Isn’t Tuscany gorgeous?

https://www.facebook.com/100065620435757/videos/2704236949733885/

One of my favorite weekends I’ve had was when my friend Kayla (who graduated DU this past year) visited me. She had just come from two months of yoga school in India and she was astonished to be walking around Florence and Rome. It was so interesting to hear her comparisons to Varanasi, the holy city of India. It is a beautiful city and she’s grateful to have experienced the culture surrounding Hinduism, but she was excited for a change of pace. There, women are strongly advised not to show much skin and even go out at night, alcohol is banned, and each day she had to set out a considerable chunk of time to pass through herds of people on the streets. One funny little shock that got her on the streets of Italy was how cars wouldn’t stop for her. She almost got run over in the middle of the street once! Apparently you can count on the cars and motorcycles to stop once you’re a couple feet away in Varanasi. I told her Italian drivers couldn’t care less, or just don’t notice you because they’re busy shuffling around for their next cigarette. A definite downside for me and her both was how expensive Rome was, even compared to Florence. While the city was still incredible to take in, it was kind of like Florence on steroids for me. For Kayla, the architecture and people’s behavior were a complete culture shock and she was freaking out.

She made me remember the initial wanderlust I had when I first arrived, and renewed my sense of gratitude to be in Europe in general. On a quick sidenote, I’ve found that the mindsets of the people I surround myself with have probably had the biggest influence on my study abroad experiences – both negative and positive.

The first spot Kayla and I wandered to was completely unexpected and beautiful; a giant park in the shape of a heart named Villa Borghese. We ventured through flower gardens and grasslands to end up canoeing ourselves around a little duck pond. Complimenting the occasional little cafes and museums stood ancient Roman temples and statues. We accidentally spent hours roaming around the park and it wasn’t even on our itinerary! We even returned on Sunday and got to enter an art gallery for free. It was the coolest museum I think I’ve ever been too, and it had nothing to do with Roman history, but the only way I can describe it is possibly the meaning of life. The exhibit held different paintings and immersive techno art that posed questions about the universe that Kayla and I tried to answer for at least an hour. Anyways, we enjoyed our last moments in the park, which I really soaked up because it’s tough to access such abundant nature in Florence. That’s one thing I’ve struggled with over these past few months… the good parks in Florence are about a 25 minute walk from where I live, so sometimes the city can feel a little suffocating. Seeing a forest of trees turning red and orange in Villa Borghese reminded me how much I missed the changing of seasons.

Now a review of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, nothing too special. The tickets were free because it was a Sunday, and the line for the Colosseum was only 20 minutes — a sweet surprise, but made enough sense for late November. Making our way through the Colosseum was surreal, especially after reading some of the information panels in the exhibit. Did you know they pitted lions against bears and gathered the city to watch them fight each other to death? They also held one-on-one gladiator duels and executions for everyone to cheer to. In fact, almost all of the activities in the Colosseum were pure violence. I took it upon my shoulders and dared myself to perform the riff-off from Pitch Perfect in an effort to heal this historical truth. I would show you the video, but it’s actually pretty embarrassing because I got shy at the end. It was hard to secure a spot without people behind me but don’t worry, I managed to weasel my way through the moving crowd to the railing overlooking the stage. I even stopped a small group of fans/observers amidst the unbothered swarmers. I don’t know guys, I just really wanted to be able to say I performed at the Colosseum. When in Rome! Right next to the Colosseum was the Roman Forum, the most mind blowing experience of the trip. It’s described as an ancient site for religious and secular spectacles and ceremonies, housing ruins of important temples and monuments. It took an hour to walk all the way through, and it felt like I had entered a portal and been frozen in time. I highly, highly recommend. Sorry I couldn’t get the most accurate pictures, I got a little lost in the moment.

The last site I will give a shout out to is the Trevi Fountain. If you’re a Roman/Greek mythology fan, I hope you get to visit Rome at least once in your life — especially this grandiose fountain. It’s dedicated to one of the aqueducts that supplied the city with water, portraying Oceanus (or Poseidon, the god of the ocean) and other supporting characters. His horses are guiding him through the sea, one horse going buckwild and the other poised and steady. The horses represent the contrasting moods of the waters, and philosophers might say the opposing forces of life too. It was refreshing to enjoy a celebrated work of sculpture and architecture that had nothing to do with Christianity — just mythology, water and a little Roman history. Not that I have anything against Christianity, but I have probably seen a hundred different portrayals of Jesus on the cross at this point and it was interesting to see something completely unrelated.

After two nights, my friend came to a conclusion about both Varanasi and Rome: the locals are genuinely interested in the American life, and surprisingly not in a way that is making fun. I would definitely attach that sentiment to Florence as well. The people are quite friendly and I’ve noticed myself to be way more judgmental of where I come from than they ever could be. Sometimes the men are a little too friendly, so you have to be weary. More so than in America… but it’s almost better that their intentions are exposed right off the bat, if you get what I mean. After a few months in Florence, I thought I had gotten used to the average Italian man’s straight-forward nature, but Rome was a whole other level. I think it’s because they’re not used to seeing American tourists out at night; in Florence I would argue I see more Americans than Italians out because of the overwhelming study abroad population. It was pretty enlivening to be apart of Italian nightlife and not recognize a single American soul; I’ve been yearning for that level of cultural authenticity. I did however, miss the walkability of Florence. Rome is much larger and Ubers in Italy are more often than not unreliable, so I adventured a little farther than I enjoyed but it’s fine because I ran into the Colosseum again. Rome is crazy like that. Alright, that’s all I wanted to share. Thanks for reading this far!