Tag: history

To the south of the center of Rome, about 20 minutes down, there is a road called the Appian Way. Along this road is a Tuscany countryside sort of feeling, with trees lining the road and sun streaming through them. Large fields, and orange trees. Parks, and… catacombs.

Me and 5 of my friends ventured down to the Appian way and started with the Catacombs of Domitilla. It’s a small catacomb (compared to other catacombs) and has a sunken church resting below the surface. It was a guided tour with only my friend group, the tour guide, and one other person in attendance. Bri and I were still scared after the movie As Above So Below (which was set in the Paris Catacombs), and it made the trip even better. Walking through the maze of the catacombs, we learned a lot about its history and how people interacted with it. There was “graffiti” from past grave diggers/robbers, from the 1600s, 1800s, and 1900s, who marked when they were there and what year. Marco 1679 was the first, written in a beautiful cursive that truly only could be from that time. No pictures nor videos were allowed, and we were immersed in the catacombs and the history of the city.

Walking through the labyrinth of tunnels and paths, it was interesting to see how each floor had a different plan, and truly, if I didn’t have a guide, I would have gotten lost. There were even the first of Christian paintings, hidden deep in this underground. It was all interesting and fascinating to learn and see. Our tour guide was very nice and answered all of our questions with expertise, and was ecstatic about her job, which made this experience interesting as well as fun.

After the Domitilla catacombs, we walked only 3 minutes up the road and visited a more popular catacomb. The Catacombe di San Callisto, is a more famous spot for catacombs, which holds a Crypt of some of the Popes. It was interesting to see how it contrasted from the lesser known one; The catacombs themself were the same, with the same maze of paths and style of burial, different floors, as well as the same building materials, but the only thing that was different was the pope’s crypt, fitted with fine marble, and a statue. However, there was music playing throughout these catacombs which I thought was odd. While both of these catacombs were interesting and provided insight to the history of Rome, the catacombs of Domitilla took the cake, because of the less known aspect and where my friends and I could be immersed more in the history, as well as the sunken church that had a certain eerie but interesting and captivating atmosphere.

Throughout this day trip, it was extremely fun being around my friends, exploring, and enjoying the good weather outside. At one point, my friend Ella and I found something funny and couldn’t stop laughing! It was so funny because I was laughing because she was laughing, and she was laughing because I was, and at a certain point had to walk away from her to stop being tempted to laugh!

Walking out of the second catacombs, we wanted to enjoy the spring weather, and sunny day, so we walked along The Appian way a bit. The sun was shining through the trees as we were walking, and with smiles on our faces, we enjoyed this time outside and being with each-other. About 7 minutes in, we came across a road with trees lining it, like in all the Italian movies, and a large field to the right. Luke and Zach immediately took to the field, walking across it to explore some ruin, while us girls took photos with the trees. It perfectly captured the essence of spring in Rome and our wonderful day together. It was beautiful.

This was one of the first really sunny and warm days in Rome. It was perfect to be out and about, enjoying it all. My friends and I had a blast together, and I really love spending time with them and having these adventures.

Soon, pictures wrapped up and we continued down the road, where there was a part of free road, where, of course, my friends and I frolicked a little and skipped down the road. A true memory. Calling the boys back, they also ran, spun, and enjoyed their time in the field and the sunny day.

Eventually, we walked a bit more but had to uber back home for dinner and the wrap up of our day. Overall, it was such a fantastic day, and one that will be one of my favorites here in Rome. The weather, friends, and The Appian Way was perfect, and a perfect memory from Rome.

It’s been so much fun walking around the city of Rome, exploring the streets, and stumbling across different beautiful monuments, cathedrals, and ancient artifacts. My friends and I have been taking to the town every day since we’ve gotten here, and all agreed to take as much as we can out of this study abroad. Planning day trips and finding new places around Rome, we have enjoyed our time here so far. We tried Japanese pancakes the other day while walking around the Vatican and made ‘vlogs’ along the way. Even when it was raining, we were out on those cobblestone streets enjoying the peacefulness that covered Rome.

However, comparing to last semester in London, I’ve already noticed some differences about my experience and myself. Rome is a far more sociable city than London, and I’ve noticed that in London I felt it being more okay to being alone. I felt as though London gives company to those who like solo time and gives more opportunities for solo dates, where Rome is far more social, and I felt more of a need to be around my friends and have less of a desire to go on solo dates- even the thought of it was a little more daunting. Maybe part of it is the fact that there is a huge language barrier now. Maybe I felt more comfortable and confident in London because I knew how to get around and knew everyone around me spoke English. However, I will try and work on my language skills and put my 2 years of Italian to use!

While on one of our walks through the city, my new flat mate and friend, Nicole, decided she wanted to send a postcard home. So, while she picked out a postcard, Abby found a cafe. Nicole quickly picked out a postcard, wrote a note, and sent it away. However, after a questioning from Abby, Nicole quickly learned that she needed to put a stamp on her postcard! She ran back to the stand, talked to the owner again, and quickly got the card back, to which she put a stamp on it and now it was truly on its way back home.

There have been quite a few learning opportunities here in Rome. From figuring out how to talk to locals, to ordering cappuccinos, figuring out where to get my nails done, and learning that even if its 60 degrees outside the Italians will still be in full winter coats.

The latter learning opportunity presented itself to me the other day. While I dress for the weather, Italians dress for the season. It was a sunny, 60-degree day outside, so I decided to embrace it and wear a t-shirt and jeans. While I thought it was fine, the Italians apparently did not. While walking around the streets, I got a few stares and a comment about it being cold. While it was a little uncomfortable being so stared at for just a simple t-shirt when it was warm out, I realized that’s what comes with living in a new country and learning what the locals do, how they dress, where they eat, and everything in between. Nonetheless, I’ll still be wearing my t-shirts because frankly, 60 degrees is quite warm when the sun is out…

While last week was filled with learning opportunities, this week will be filled with embracing those changes. This weekend, my flat mates and I will take on our first trip of the semester; Prague and Budapest! I’m excited to travel to these new places and explore the new countries I will be in.

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