ORD –> LHR –> FCO
Hello! I’m Kelsey! I’m here to tell you all about my adventures in Italy this semester. I am a junior at Loyola University Chicago (or the John Felice Rome Center at the moment). I am working toward a major in Communications (Advertising and Public Relations, as well as minors in Environmental Leadership and Action and International Film and Media Studies. I’m excited to share my life with you for the next semester! I hope you enjoy!
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The first week of Italy was insanity. I have never done anything that scary/wonderful/new/independent/terrifying/wonderful. Did I say wonderful twice? Because it was wonderful. On the plane ride alone I saw the ocean, the alps, Big Ben, English Parliament, and the London Eye, not to mention watching the sunrise over England and the sunset over Rome.
Day one and two were a blur of jet lag, the Italian language and workshops to make sure I am allowed to stay in the country. On Toward the end of the week, as a group, we went to dinner at a local restaurant. It was amazing! The food here isn’t like the food at home. Even the cafeteria (mensa) is way better – sorry, Aramark!
On Saturday, we took a bus to the Colosseo and the Forum. The bus dropped us off and our SLAs (Student Life Assistants) basically said “Have fun! Find your own way home!” I was a little bit petrified. The general philosophy is that if you get lost, you only know the city that much better. They really push for independent exploration of Roma. Which terrified me. Stranded? In another country? Where the only words I know are “ciao” and “grazie”? Well, it actually wasn’t that bad. They gave us bus passes and maps and everything. Either way, everyone made it home. I was lucky enough to see Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and have some pizza and gelato on the way.
The pizza. Oh, the pizza. I like to consider myself a bit of a pizza conneseur. I even took a pizza tour in Chicago this summer. I eat it probably once (twice) a week at home. But nothing I have ever had tastes anywhere near as delectable as the pizza in Rome. Worth the cost of the plane ticket to get here.
Sunday, the group went to Tivoli, a little town tucked away on a hill. The beautiful Villa d’Estes opened its doors to us, giving us a wonderful tour of the gardens. The picturesque gardens host over 500 fountains and were a luscious green even in January (PS- the weather is great here, you barely need a coat!). This place belongs on a postcard – and the vendors nearby would be glad to sell one to you for half a Euro.
You can buy anything on the streets of Rome, from aprons to books to scarfs to embossed glass pieces featuring the sights of Italy. It’s fantastic just to walk around to see the pieces of art people sell. Everyone is really nice. You can barely walk from one stand to the next without hearing “Ciao! Buongiorno!” I think the glory of Rome is in its history, but the life of Rome is in its people.
More to come! Ciao!