Buongiorno!
There’s something incredibly liberating about being able to walk to class every day. In a simple manner, it’s great to not have to rely on public transportation or worry about finding parking. What’s really great about the walk, though, is how it allows me to see the city.
Living in Trastevere, I’m on the south side of the Fiume Tevere, Tiber River. Trastevere is more of a hip neighborhood in the sense that a lot of American study abroad students live here every semester. When we first arrived on the fifth, it felt as if we were the only Americans here, which I actually liked. The days since then, though, more students have been arriving. It’s thoroughly entertaining to watch these students adjust to the differences that come with living in Rome. It’s been fun watching their reactions from afar while I’m passing them on the street. It’s only been six days that I’ve been living in Rome, but it feels like I’ve been here for much longer.
Heading towards the river from Trastevere is a simple walk. There’s a mix of older buildings that have been here for centuries and ones that are a bit newer. We walk by a number of churches, like San Francesco a Ripa, which is probably my favorite part. Another great thing about Rome is how many restaurants and little eateries you pass by. Just in the roughly mile-long walk to the bridge, there are so many places that I want to try.
Crossing the river is probably my favorite part of the walk. For one, it’s the border between the calmer side of Trastevere and the hustle and bustle of Rome. The sidewalk itself serves as a border on its own. To one side, you have the rushing waters of the Tiber and on the other, you have the varied traffic of cars and trams.
The views to each side—day or night—is what really makes it great. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I can see the Vatican while crossing the bridge. How cool is that? I’ve been dreaming of visiting the Vatican for as long as I can remember and there it stands, majestically in the distance above everything else around it. It’s especially beautiful at night as its light serve as a beacon off in the distance.
Once over the bridge, the people around typically increase. I love walking through the streets of Rome, surrounded by people, listening to the melodic sounds of the Italian language. Even though I can’t speak their language, walking amongst them helps me to feel a part of them.
On the walk, I love noticing new things every day. From different architectural elements, plaques or inscriptions, and different shop windows, there truly is something new to see every day. Being Rome, reminders of the past are everywhere. Typically, the best reminders are ruins, and as luck would have it, I walk by these cool ruins every day.
While the ruins are on the opposite side of the street, I have yet to actually walk over there and really check them out, but there’s nothing that a quick Google search can’t provide.
Largo di Torre Argentina is home to the ruins of four Republican Roman temples, as well as Pompey’s Theater. The oldest of the temples originates from fourth century BC, and all four were reconstructed in 80 AD. What really intrigued me though was that Pompey’s Theater stood there. Does the name sound familiar? It’s where Julius Caesar was assassinated. He was killed in the curia of the theater, which is in the square, during a Senate meeting. Knowing this, I’ll definitely make my way over to the ruins to check them out further.
Walking deeper into the city, it feels more like a big city back in America. Busy shops, people making their way to work, towering billboards advertising everything from watches to a gas station app to Lavazza A Modo Mio—an at-home capsule espresso machine, basically an Italian Keurig.
The mix of modernity with the antique sets Rome apart from any other place I’ve ever been. Seeing the old fountains, statues, buildings continually bring a smile to my face.
I also adore walking by so many churches. My favorite, and it’s on the street right before school, is Chiesa Nuova di Santa Maria in Vallicella. It’s grand compared to the buildings around it, and I can only imagine how beautiful it is on the inside.
Another reason I love Rome is because Mary is literally everywhere. She’s up on the corners of piazzas and streets. There are a number of churches dedicated to her in one way or another. She’s even on the face of the clock tower right by school, which is a part of Oratorio dei Filippini (Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri), the building right next to Chiesa Nuova di Santa Maria in Vallicella.
Have you seen the movie Roman Holiday? If not, I highly suggest watching it because Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are wonderful and the movie was actually shot in Rome and the scenery is beyond beautiful. There’s a scene in the movie when this clock awakens Joe Bradley (Peck), so it’s pretty cool that it overlooks the Piazza dell’Orologio, where the ACCENT building is.
Walking more than 10,000 steps can create quite an appetite.
After class, surprise, I got a macchiato. I got one at Bar L’orologio. I enjoy both cappuccinos and macchiatos, and I have learned to enjoy macchiatos more now in Italy because they’re a shot of espresso stained with a bit of milk, making them incredibly easy to enjoy in the fast-paced culture that is drinking coffee in Italy.
For dinner, a group of us went out to Osteria dei Cappellari, near Campo de’ Fiori. It was a charming little restaurant and our waiter was pretty cool. He was Sicilian and quite helpful to our group.
Because of our class schedule, I didn’t really eat much of a lunch. For that reason, I decided to get an antipasto and got Carciofo alla Romana as Rome is known for having delicious artichokes.
For primo, I ordered orecchiette con salsiccia e broccoli, but they were out of orecchiette so I got it with homemade spaghetti instead. It was quite delicious even though it was a tad heavy on the salt.
Getting to walk to school is a luxury that I’m so happy to enjoy and take advantage of as much as I possibly can while I’m in Rome. For me, I don’t think there is a better way to get in touch with a city other than walking its streets and immersing yourself in it.
Ciao!
Jodee
Tempesta's Travels 