I’m still in Rome learning Italian and enjoying every moment. The first two weeks are very intense. The wonderful group we’ve formed won’t last forever; everyone returns to their own lives at different times, so I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re going to make every minute count.
In addition to the Scuola activities, which I’ll tell you more about later, we find our own exploring to do. One afternoon, Rolf and I go to watch the sunset from Castel Sant’Angelo. Admission costs €16. We visit the museum’s rooms until we reach its roof top from which the city and the largest dome in Christendom unfold before us. The beauty of the orange sky and the sun setting behind St. Peter’s fascinates us.
Another afternoon, after class, we all go to see a photography exhibition at Palazzo Falconieri, the headquarters of the Hungarian embassy. We come across one of my favorite streets (there are many): a bridge, some climbing plants, the cobblestones… how could I not be in love with this city?
We’re hungry and very close to the Ponte Sisto, which leads to Trastevere. There, we stroll through its lively streets, visit the beautiful church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, and have dinner at the cheapest pizzeria in the city, Carlo Menta. The margherita costs €4, cheap, right?
One Sunday, I go with Jean Pierre to the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, where I learn something very interesting: the Etruscans were an egalitarian, highly advanced society. I notice that the faces of their funeral sculptures are smiling. The Etruscans were the people who lived here before the arrival of the Romans. Greek writers weren’t big fans of this society and called them immoral. I, on the other hand, really like them; I’d like to learn more about them.
After such an interesting visit, we cross part of Villa Borghese Park, passing Largo Federico Fellini, where we contemplate the section of the wall that you can see in one of the last episodes of Emily in Paris (now in Rome).
We walk down one of the city’s most sophisticated streets, Via Veneto, to Piazza Barberini, home to Bernini’s Tritone Fountain. Next to it is our destination, the Palazzo Barberini, an impressive former papal residence with rooms filled with works of art, including Raphael’s La Fornarina.
We enjoyed its beautiful garden while savouring a delicious salad in the museum’s restaurant.
It´s Rolf’s last night, so we say goodbye over dinner in Trastevere at La Tavernetta 29 da Tony e Andrea and dance away on the completely overrun Ponte Sisto. It was then that I remembered the words my friend Zuli had said: Rome belongs to the Romans, and so it is.
One weekend, the Palazzo Sciarra, which is usually closed to the public, opens. I find out that in addition to the works of art scattered throughout its rooms, they also display Cardinal Prospero Colonna’s library, so Anna and I sneak in with the rest of the Italians to take part in a tour, in Italian, of this beautiful place.
On our way out, we pass by the Bocca della Verita, Santa Maria in Cosmedin, its crypt, the square with several temples located in front of it, the Circus Maximus, the Giardino degli Aranci, the lock in Piazza degli Cavalieri di Malta—all those must-sees for when visiting Rome, which I’ve already mentioned in previous posts.
One Sunday, Anna and I decide to get up early. At 7 a.m., we meet in front of the Pantheon, so beautiful with no one around, with that blue light of dawn, marvelous. In an hour, we tour the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Spagna, and Piazza del Popolo, almost alone.
From there we go to the Church of Sant’Eustachio, where no one gets married. The reason? The saint is accompanied by a deer with large antlers. You also find it at the entrance, and since Italian tradition is like Spanish, they say “I don’t want antlers on my wedding day (it means someone has cheated)” and avoid it. What you shouldn’t avoid if you like coffee is the Sant’Eustachio café; they suggest it’s the best in the world.
What’s happening on Sunday? The bustling Porta Portese market, so off we go, stopping first at the Chiesa Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza. The market is packed; we were told to go early, but of course… the walk at dawn was more appealing.
After another farewell dinner with Lucía, Felipe, Dan, and Anna, we go to the Gerbillo Furioso bar. Dan’s cousin and his band Jet Lag play there; they’re great, and we have a very fun evening.
Another afternoon after leaving class I pass by the quiet Cloister of the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, near the Pantheon, it is in one of the bustling areas and entering is like crossing the threshold to tranquility. You will remember the church with its beautiful blue roof, and the Saint Catherine of Siena next to her altar to whom we can write notes with requests or thanks, which is what I did, I feel very grateful.
I am grateful to have read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, more than a thousand pages of adventures, revenge, friendship and love. The Count spends some time in Rome, during the carnival, which in its day was more famous than that of Venice, in the Via del Corso horse races were held, when we visited the Palazzo Sciarra we admired a painting with a representation of those races, and I was glad to have read that extract before visiting it. A classic page turner, I adored it.
