Ciao!
In 5 days it will mark one month in Rome! A lot has happened in one month. I’ve made lots of new friends from all over and am excited for what is going to come in the remaining months. I like how my program has some Rollins students, but also is mixed with several other schools. It is interesting meeting students with different backgrounds, majors and interests.
When I initially arrived in Rome, I was very overwhelmed and felt like there was nothing I could eat. I am gluten free and dairy free so it was very hard at times, especially when you don’t speak the language. For the first week all I ate was salad or rice, which was not very filling. But I have discovered that most restaurants do have gluten free pasta or pizza crust if I asked. I printed out a GF card, that explains what celiacs disease is in Italian, it has made ordering much easier. Ever since I started using this, I have been eating very well (too well). This weekend we went to Naples which is where pizza was first created! I had the best pizza of my entire life.
This month I have traveled to Orvieto, Pompeii, Capri, Naples and this weekend I am going to Venice. Orvieto was a small town located in the hills about 50 minutes outside of Rome. We spent the day exploring the historic country side and ate homemade pasta. This past weekend we travel as a group to Pompeii, Capri and Naples. Seeing first hand how the city of Pompeii and bodies were preserved after the volcano was extremely interesting. Capri was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. We rented a boat for the day and explored the seven grottos.
I am excited to travel to Venice this weekend with my Art Conservation class. So far, this is my favorite class. Every week we go on walking tours to various places throughout Rome. The past three weeks we have gone to Vatican to learn about the restoration process, the mosaic creation and plaster development. We are going to Venice this weekend to learn about how tourism and human behavior is jeopardizing the well being and future of Venice.
Arrivederci!