Roman Adventures – College Admission at Loyola

Why Villa Borghese Should be at the Top of Your “To See in Roma” List

By | April 2, 2015

The largest park in Roma has recently become one of my most visited attractions in the Eternal City–and with good reason. In my 4 recent visits to Villa Borghese I’ve managed to see something entirely new each time. This park was made for wandering and each time you visit you’re bound to find a new adventure. Here’s a few things I hope you stumble upon that during a Villa Borghese “wander”–

A romantic row-boat date. Last weekend one of my friends and I stumbled across a pond where you can rent row boats (only 3 Euros for 20 minutes). We were laughing at how ridiculously romantic our girl-friend date turned out, but it was a lot of fun.
A visit to the Modern Art Museum. I’ve only walked passed this one, but it is a huge building that I’m sure houses an incredible collection.
A bike ride. On nearly every street you can find a bike rental stand with all kinds of options. The next time I visit you’ll probably find me on the 4 person bike that looks more like a golf cart. (No worries though, they do have regular bikes as well.)
A visit to the Galleria Borghese. You’ve got to be sure to check out the actual Villa that started it all. Built in order to show off a bit and allow people in the community a space to appreciate fine arts, this beautiful building is worth checking out. (If you do plan to visit you’ve got to book tickets ahead of time.)
A stop at the zoo (or the dog park). Roma’s zoo finds its home in Villa Borghese, but when you’re on a college student budget the dog park on the hill below can be just as satisfying. Both good finds, but the type of animals you spend your afternoon with are up to you.
A panoramic view of Rome. Just above Piazza del Popolo (also worth checking out) is an incredible overlook of the city. Straight ahead you can see Vatican City, off to the far left is the Victor Emmanuel Monument, plus the rest of Rome in between. One of the most breathtaking views of Rome I’ve seen thus far.
A perfect afternoon picnic. My family and I planned ahead for lunch in the park and stopped at an “alimentari” where we had fresh sandwiches made. This made for an awesome lunch, on a shady bench, later that afternoon.

These are just a few adventures you might have in this magical park–now it’s up to you to come visit and have your own Villa Borghese experience.

The Mercatos of Roma

By | March 24, 2015

This past weekend was the first one in quite a while that I’ve had free time to explore Rome. My friends and I have had the opportunity to experience cities all over Europe, but hardly anytime to explore the city we’ve been calling home. And these new explorations had me falling in love with Rome all over again. Now our last month and half will be dedicated to Roman explorations–we started off well this week by visiting 2 popular mercatos (markets) of Rome.

Without any classes on Friday, a friend and I made use of our morning and visited the Mercato Trionfale. This indoor market feels almost like a shopping mall due to its size–as it is the largest market in Rome, but the stalls filled with an array of produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, spices, and various odds and ends tell you otherwise. Our visit was mostly just to browse, but we ended up buying a few things. My favorite purchase was the box of fresh strawberries I bought for 1 Euro and 50 cents. Although the bombas (filled doughnuts, one cream and one chocolate) I had made for tough competition.

We browsed in mostly the bakery and produce aisles, but the market had plenty of butcheries as well as a seafood section. We also stumbled across a party supply store, pet store, a few clothing stores, and a flower shop. Needless to say, nearly anything you need could be found at the Mercato Trionfale–I think it’d be a great spot to grab a picnic before you continue wandering around the Eternal City.

On a whim Saturday afternoon we visited our 2nd mercato of the weekend in Campo de Fiori. This traditional outdoor market is open daily and is one I will likely be making another visit too. I found the atmosphere in this market to be much more “Roman” or at least more along the lines of what I would imagine a Roman market to consist of. The vendors’ tents filled the piazza with a wide range of goods including Italian leather, kitchen utensils, produce, flowers, and piles of pasta. This market has the potential to supply me with several souvenirs to bring home to friends and family.

These mercatos sold many of the same items, but both offer a very different atmosphere. I may prefer Campo’s mercato to Trionfale’s, but those bombas may bring me back to Trionfale anyway.