La Primavera a Roma: Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna is one of the most visited places in Rome with its beauty, history, views of the city and world-famous shopping. After two months of passing the famous Spanish Steps everyday, I never once saw the sight that frequents postcards and the prints being sold in Piazza Navona. I had waited almost four months for the azaleas to blanket the steps and brighten the busy piazza.

The Spanish Steps without the spring flowers.

 The signs of spring were everywhere one Friday afternoon in Piazza di Spagna. The warm golden sun beat down on the swarming tourists and the gypsies were selling more irrelevant trinkets than ever before. As I made my way from the Spagna Metro stop to the Spanish Steps, a sea of fluorescent pink and snow white azaleas blanketed the Spanish Steps that had been so bare the week before.

The smell of roasted chestnuts swept across my path as I felt the heat from oven on the corner as I passed by the vendor. All around me I could hear the murmuring of different languages and the high pitched beeps of digital cameras snapping memories of the widest staircase in Europe. Never have I seen the Spanish Steps so crowded before. People were sunbathing on the sunlit parts of the steps and others were posing in front of the floral displays.

The Spanish Steps decorated for spring!

The flowers of the Spanish Steps are a true indicator that spring has arrived in Rome. The bubble gum pink petals mixed with the cotton white buds displayed a floral paradise against a cloudless bright blue sky. The banana yellow sun rested peacefully in the sky above the Trinita dei Monti church at the top of the steps. This was by far the most beautiful representation of spring that I had ever witnessed.

Picturing Ostia Antica

The city of Ostia Antica was once a thriving and largely populated city located right outside of Rome. Its prime location at the mouth of the Tiber River made it a seaport city, granting it power and control over the use of the river, placing it above most cities.

A visitor to the Ostia Antica excavation site may just see an ancient city with no life and only uncovered buildings and structures. Without hearing the history behind the city and a vivid description of how the city once appeared and operated, a visit here would be as valuable as traveling around Rome with your eyes closed.

Dr. Corrado, the history professor in the Rome program, brought us to each structure and vividly described the purpose and appearance it once had. We had a three-hour tour of using our imaginations to recreate this abandoned city and have it come to life once again.

My dad standing at a "fast food" counter

I pictured myself walking down the wide main road made of large stones embedded into the ground, causing everyone to carefully look down while walking to avoid a spill of any sorts.The brick buildings, while not in their entirety, were at one point tall and complete. I pictured what a home would look like, a square structure made of brick located on a road with other homes.

As we entered the forum, the city center, I completed the church's structure and connected the piazza together, imagining people of the time walking throughout and engaging with each other. The store spaces that lined the streets had windows and counters that resemble what our typical fast food restaurants look like today. Painted and preserved pictures above the counters show a "menu" of what was once sold and consumed at these various establishments.

Menu at a "fast food" stand

The most interesting part of Ostia were the Roman baths. The bath complex was a major element of the city and used by most of its residents. Even in the 7th century B.C., the Romans developed the technology to create heated floors and walls for the various bath rooms. As I sat in the different bath rooms I pictured myself moving from the warm room to the hot room and finally into the cool room and socializing with everyone else that visited the baths daily.

Sitting in the Roman baths

It is amazing how a city founded in the 7th century B.C. is still standing and visited today. I could not believe how Ostia had once resembled how most cities look today. When I left I didn't feel like I saw only a excavated city, but one that is still alive today in every visitor's imagination.

The Men in Suits Will Get You

On a cold snowy day in Rome a few friends and myself decided that a trip down to Sicily for the Easter weekend was more than necessary. Some beach time, sunshine and tropical blue water were certainly in order after such a cold Roman winter.

The month of April and my last planned trip had somehow snuck up on me. The final weeks of my abroad adventure were here and I was determined to make the most of them, beginning in Sicily.

Even though most people travel to Rome for Easter, I had decided to take the Roman approach and leave the city and influx of tourists for the weekend. We were determined to make this trip a relaxing one with no preplanned sightseeing except for some beach time, cannolis and tanning.

We stayed at the Mondello Palace Hotel located in the Mondello Beach area of Sicily near Palermo. Mondello is known for its beautiful beaches and seaside town full of seafood restaurants. The best part of the hotel was the included breakfast. After over three months of the typical Italian breakfast (a cornetto and caffe) we were ready to indulge. Scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal, yogurt, cornettos, juice, coffee, fruit and more filled out plates every morning. It was all worth waking up early (by a college students standpoint) before 10 am on vacation just to get our fill.

 Cefalù

On our first full day we set out to explore Cefalu, a nearby city known for its beaches and tourist attractions. Without a warning, we hopped on the bus that stopped right in front of our hotel, all dressed in beach attire while the Sicilians were wearing full jackets, boots and scarves. Unable to buy tickets we rode the bus anyway, figuring that it was just like Rome where it is very rare that officials check tickets, until three men in matching suits and ties came onto the bus and asked to see our verified tickets. Thinking we could escape them we ran off the bus only to be caught and reprimanded in Italian for trying to cheat the system.

After what felt like a march to "transportation jail," the men in suits brought us to a ticket window and explained that we would be fine 135 Euro each for not having tickets (keep in mind that a ticket only costs 1.30 Euro). After explaining in our best Italian that there was no where to buy tickets the man behind the window let us free as long as we bought bus tickets for the remainder of the day.

An hour-long taxi drive filled with techno and American oldies music later we arrived to the coastal town of Cefalu where we parked ourselves on the beach for the next three hours. Beautiful blue crystal clear water and soft white sand welcomed us along with the strong shining sun. Eager to obtain tans we laid out, sans sunscreen, and certainly paid the price with sunburns all over. Afterward, we walked through the town to escape the sun for a bit and found charming shops and restaurants along the coast. We stopped for a quick drink and snack at a restaurant with stunning views of the water before heading back on a train to Palermo.

Mondello

Mondello Beach is a popular beach destination for Italians during the summer months. Since we were visiting right before the summer season the town was not very crowded. It was nice to escape the busy city of Rome and the large tour groups for a quiet and peaceful weekend. Most of my time was spent walking through the town and hanging out with everyone on our balcony taking in the beautiful view. Easter Sunday attracted many families and couples to Mondello who were strolling along the water and taking in the beautiful weather. On Easter we braved the rainstorm that evening to go out to a group dinner where I tried clams for the first time and actually liked them!

Italian Fashion

Rome is a city that is famous for its history, beauty, food, and supposedly its fashion. I expected to see women dressed in the latest fashion and men sporting the laid back European look. There is a Roman style of dress that is very distinct and not what I expected.

No matter the weather or the season Romans love one thing: Puffy Winter Coats.
Want to get an idea of what to wear today by looking out of your window? Don't. All you'll see are black puffy coats, scarves and boots, even though it's 70 degrees outside.

All day, everyday.

Want to wear nice sandals because it's 80 degrees outside? You'll be the only one, unless you find yourself in a touristy area where all of the other Americans will be sporting strappy sandals. Romans wear boots, athletic sneakers and heels no matter the weather or where they are going. Sandals are not popular and are a sign that you are a tourist.

Want to wear shorts on a warm afternoon? Better think twice and opt for a skirt or dress (in a dark color of course) because most Romans do not wear shorts or brightly printed sun dresses. Wearing any of these will result in excessive stares on the Metro and on the streets.

Do you love the bright and new spring colors? You should buy them to wear somewhere other than Rome. Romans wear dark color clothing in all temperatures. I am not sure who actually buys the beautifully patterned and brightly colored clothing in the store windows because there is no evidence on the streets.

American themed clothing in Brandy Melville

Stars and Stripes
The most surprising fashion trend in Rome is the American scarf phenomenon. Every market has at least one scarf stand that sells American flag scarves and other products with the United States' flag on them. Young people wear them everywhere in the city. The scarf is not the only accessory sporting America's stars and stripes; earrings, bracelets, phone cases and sunglasses all have the patriotic colors and symbols that represent the United States. Every market was a great opportunity to sock up on patriotic clothing for the 4th of July.

Stores, such as Brandy Melville and Subdued, sell clothing with American flags draped across the front. I found it very ironic that the American flag apparel was so popular in Rome. Along with the America flag apparel is the faux-Starbucks phenomenon where coffee cups and the a recreation of the Starbucks logo are screened onto sweatshirts, t-shirts and purses.

The strong influence of American culture was very surprising to me. I did not expect to see the American flag printed on sweatshirts and Starbucks cups appear on t-shirts. I found it ironic that the Italian flag and its colors were not as popular in contemporary clothing stores as the American flag was.