Going to Venice!

Talk to you soon! Updates and pics coming, promise!

Oh. Hi, Washingtonians. Hiii.

Poor Washingtonians (this includes you too, Karli, regardless of your current residency - WA 4 LYFE), I feel like I've been neglecting this blog un po'. Life in Italy is both slow and fast-paced. I take my time during the day, eating lunch for hours, exploring Rome and walking miles and miles each day that by the time I get home I am stanchissima (especially since I have to remind myself I'm not on vacation and that I have homework every night).

But don't worry, it's time for a quick (quick, quick) update.


It's been 5 days since my last update (oops) so I'm just giving you the highlights. Since we couldn't go to Florence for the weekend, we stuck around in Rome...

Friday We did our class tour of ancient Rome and the Colosseum.

Me & Molly in front of il Colosseo

Saturday  Me and all my flat-mates walked all the way to Piazza del Popolo.

Sunday With all the traffic noise outside our apartment windows, we woke up with the Sunday crowd and made it to Sunday mass at noon at Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter's) and saw the Pope (sort of).

Then it was off to the Porta Portese market.
Then we ate nearby in Trastevere, where I had the best spaghetti and mussels.

Monday After class Monday we went to la spiaggia a Lido! I ate fresh coconut from on the beach and played soccer in the sunshine!

Beach in Lido!

Tuesday During one of our class tours we saw the Trajan Markets.

Romans knew how to re-use and recycle.

We got a special tour and was able to climb this tower! Ruggero, one of our professors is 50 years old, grew up in Rome and said he's never been up this tower.

See that column? It holds Trajan's ashes, tells the story of his successful campaign and spoils he brought from war... and marks the height of the hill that they removed to build his palace.

Trip Cancelled

So due to a sciopero (strike) by transportation drivers in Rome, the train to Firenze (Florence) was cancelled... We all packed last night, took our packs to the UWRC before our 9 am tour of ancient Rome, then returned 4 hours laters to head to Stazione Termini. Our ticket confirmation numbers didn't work at all and we found out our train was not running. It's a complete bummer, especially after such an incredibly long day. We'll just have to try to go another weekend - afterall, our biglietti are still valid for another 2 months for the same day and time.

Other than that, today was amazing! We walked up onto the most important and oldest hill in Rome, Palatine Hill. There we saw Il Foro, L'arco di Tito, La Strada Sacre, and so much more. Pictures to follow. 

That's it for now. I just wanted to do a quick update. Now it's nap time until we go out and check out some bars by the Spanish Steps.

Florence for the weekend

All right, readers. I'll be on a short break as me and my roommates are vacationing in Firenze for the weekend. Talk to you on Monday!

Ciao,

Rosin