Envoi

View of Rome from the Villa Medici

Sitting in my house in Larchmont, New York it’s hard to believe my two weeks in Rome are actually over. After a semester of preparation, my time in the Eternal City was densely packed and definitely rewarding, but the days flew by. By the middle of the first week I had established my own routine and adjusted to the time zone and cultural differences (like simply ordering a coffee) and leaving on Sunday I felt like that routine abruptly ended. Even the plane ride back was strange because many of my classmates stayed behind in Europe for their own separate travels. Now that I’m home and looking through all the pictures I took – 1,409 to be exact – I am missing Rome but also incredibly grateful for the experience. I have never been abroad for a period as long as two weeks, and I definitely had never been better prepared to immerse myself in a new culture. My semester of Elementary Italian I paid off in the short conversations I was able to carry with locals and CC 265’s brutal midterm and less painful final paid off in nearly every moment, from understanding the physical layout of the city to interpreting a work of art in one of the museums we visited.

My favorite sites that I saw were, in no particular order, the Galleria Borghese, the Protestant Cemetery and Keats-Shelley House, the Colosseum, and the Vatican Necropolis.  The Galleria Borghese was the most beautiful and impressive museum I have ever visited. The Bernini sculptures on the first floor alone would be sufficiently awe-inspiring, but the second floor’s rooms upon rooms of paintings and frescoes made the entire day surreal. I am almost grateful that the museum did not allow any photography, because now I will only have the memories of my initial reactions to the works I saw. The Protestant Cemetery and Keats-Shelley House were both exciting because they provided tangible connections to my favorite poet John Keats. After researching the Cemetery for my group project with Amari and Emily, I was surprised by how peaceful the grounds were despite all the famous individuals buried there. The Colosseum, despite how over-hyped or cliché it may seem, also surprised me. The first time we took the Metro to the Colosseo stop and walked outside I was surprised by its size and location right in the middle of the city. And our guided tour of the lower and very upper levels gave me a better idea of its scale and architectural magnificence. Lastly, the Vatican Necropolis was the most exclusive-feeling excursion our group went on. Our dramatic tour guide made every detail feel like an important secret that only we were lucky enough to be let in on.

In addition to these very memorable physical sites, I will always cherish the time I got to spend walking around the city on my own or with just a couple friends. Without our large group getting stares (and sometimes glares) from non-tourists for our sheer size, I felt completely comfortable stopping in stores or taking the Metro as if I were truly Roman. Even when I was physical tired and my feet were sore from our morning sight seeing, I tried to make use of every moment of free time to be outside.

Over the summer I will miss spending every day with our group of “Rome kids” exploring the city. I’ll miss my daily (or twice daily) cups of gelato, the mozzarella di bufala, prosciutto, and delicious pasta. After two weeks in Rome and seeing most of its famous landmarks, I am satisfied with the trip but I know I have to return some day soon.