Hello, March.

It has been quite some time since my last post, and I apologize for that. The delay is mostly due to midterms—sometimes it’s easy to forget the “study” component of study abroad.

The last 2-3 weeks comprised largely of venturing around Rome, with spontaneous day trips popping in here and there, and of course, a lot of paper-writing and studying. Some of the “big” things I’ve done are:

• Visiting the Capitoline Museum
• Spending a day in Pisa
• Cheering on Roma in their match against Feyennord
• Showing the Katies and some of their Florentine pals around Rome
• Visiting the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel
• Going for Round 2 at the Colosseum and Roman Forum
• Exploring the Roman Jewish Ghetto
• Visiting the Italian (Mussolini) Forum
• Spending a day in Orvieto

Filling the times between these big exciting adventures are small adventures of equal excitement. I’ve had a few more of my own soccer matches, discovered several new bars/cafes/restaurants that I love, ate at a Chinese restaurant(?), gardened, sculpted, and enjoyed the 60-degrees-and-sunny weather. Also, I ate the world’s greatest pasta. It is a tortellini dish that is stuffed with cheese and pears and served in a carrot sauce. Sounds crazy weird, but trust me, it’s delicious. It evoked an emotional reaction from me. If you ever find yourself in Rome, you must go to Osteria dell’Anima and treat yourself to this wonderful dish. Allora, moving on from life-changing food, I’ll share a few photos and memories of my adventures.

Pisa.

“You stole a Pisa my heart!” “I want a Pisa that fun!” “Did you eat a Pisa pizza while you were in Pisa?”

Pisa, a town of puns, sinking buildings, and quiet avenues, made for a wonderful day. On a Thursday night a few pals and I decided we wanted to visit the Leaning Tower and the next morning found ourselves on a train to Pisa. The spontaneity of the trip trumped the early morning exhaustion, but not our intense hunger. Maybe it was our empty stomachs talking, but the pizza we had for lunch transcended all pizza before it and all pizza to come; we left with in exceptional spirits that lasted the rest of the day. After some wonderfully aimless wandering, we were standing in front of the Leaning Tower. I had never pictured myself visiting the Tower before, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be so silly. My friends and I could not stop giggling at the absurdity of a tower sinking into the earth and the amount of people standing in the strangest poses, trying to create a witty photo—though we shamelessly joined in on the cheesy tourist fun. I personally elected for the punching pose. Aside from the people at the Tower, the town was rather quiet, clean, and quaint. We watched the sunset on the bridge and reveled under the stars we hadn’t seen in some time.

Roma Game.

If you think Americans are intense about sports, you’ve clearly never been to a Roman soccer game. Roma played a team from the Netherlands, and the ~5,000 Dutch fans that were in Rome that day trashed the Spanish steps and broke the fountain there, making us a little apprehensive about attending the match. As we were filing into the stadium, we were stopped several times by the police and the national guard, asking us where we were from and where we were seated. They ended up directing us to new seats that were farther away from the Dutch fans. Needless to say, we were slightly afraid for our safety, but once inside we had a great time cheering Forza Roma! Siamo la Roma! until the game ended with a score of 1-1. Afterward, some pals and I went to the local Chinese restaurant to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the survival of our first Roma game.

The Katies and Kenzie in Rome.

Reunited at last, the Katies and Kenzie sprinted across the piazza at Roma Tiburtina Stazione into the group hug of the century. I’ll let the two of them tell you more about their weekend in Rome, but I’ll write a brief overview. We did all of the “big” things in Rome—Vatican City (Museum and Sistine Chapel included), Pantheon, Roman Forum, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, and Via del Corso. We also had time to visit some of my favorite piazzas, restaurants, and sights. Three of their friends came along which made me a little nervous about getting lost and annoying them with my lack of direction, but to my surprise, this wasn’t an issue. Navigating from monument to monument with relative ease, I was happy to realize that truly, “Roma is-a home-a” for I have become one with its labyrinth of streets.

Roman Jewish Ghetto.

Although this adventure was brief, it warrants a shout-out. My pal Donner and I woke up early on a Monday morning to explore the small section of Rome that between the years 1555 and 1870 was the Jewish Ghetto. We ate delicious Kosher pastries, my favorite being the pistachio tarte, sipped cappuccino with the locals, and toured through the museum and two synagogues. It was a great way to start the week, and we agreed to make Monday-morning-neighborhood-trips a weekly routine.

Orvieto.

Orvieto, Oriveto, Orvieto. You have stolen my heart. Set in the Tuscan countryside, Orvieto is a cliffside town that is equal parts artisan shops, foliage, and beautiful views. Katie D and I met here on a Friday morning for another spontaneous day trip. The tiny, bright red cable car we had to take up the mountainside to reach the actual town told us that we were in for an afternoon of adorable quaintness. We hiked the “Ring around the Rock”, which is a trail set slightly below the town, encompassing it, and were left breathless from the intense inclines and mountain scenery. The streets of Orvieto were filled with flowers, plants, and trees—a refreshing change from the trash and dirt of Roman streets. We discovered the world’s most magical street with its most attractive feature being an shop filled with kitchenware and tools made entirely of olivewood. Katie with her spoons, and I with my honeycomb, we left Orvieto with our Tuscan olivewood treasures, with the strange mix of excitement and sadness that accompanies all of our goodbyes.

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I have one midterm left, and then my Spring Break will officially begin. I’ll write back soon, with stories from Marseille, Madrid, and Barcelona. For now, here are a few “extra” photos that will go wordless.

Con amore,

Kenzie