Italia Day #2
"All roads lead to Rome!"
On Tuesday, May 12th we began our day with breakfast at Hotel Atlantico followed by a meeting of the overview of tourism in Italy.
Italy is the fifth country in the world and third in Europe for international arrivals. How amazing is that?! I also know for a fact that it is one of the most expensive places to study abroad for students, however it is hard to think about that when experiencing the culture and lifestyle firsthand. Italy's boot-shaped peninsula withholds different geographies and climates throughout the north, central and southern sections of the country. Together it compromises of some of the best landscapes worldwide because it is full of mountains, plains, lakes, coasts and islands.
Italy is made up of 20 different regions - all very distinctive from each other. Most of the time, the landscapes and lifestyles are the most different from each other, therefore the best way to distinguish between the regions. For example, each region will have different dialects and slang terms in their Italian language. On the other hand, the Italians actual physical appearance can also be different. Yet, the most interesting is that fact that each regions' people are loyal to their own region, therefore they believe that theirs is the best compared to the others. The term for this action is 'Campanilismo', which literally means 'the love of one's own bell-tower'.
Finally, my favorite topic to learn and talk about is the differences in each regions food and wine. Recipes are handed down throughout several generations in each region, making the differences quite unique, which causes refusals from the Italians to try the other regions dishes. As much as I would like to continue talking about the food and wine of each region, there is quite enough for another full post. Stay tuned for it!
Afterwards, a good amount of us ventured to a nearby restaurant called L'Europe, where I had one of my favorite dishes - prosciutto wrapped melon. It's basically perfection for your taste buds on a plate. A red table house wine also accompanied our meals, which was the first of many for this trip!
Best Moment: Kristina hitting Noelle in the head with her selfie stick.
Next, we all took our first trip on the metro taking us to tour the Auditorium Parco della Musica. This large music complex holds three large dome buildings - each bigger than the last. The smallest facility holds about 700, the middle can sustain about 1,200 people and the largest has 2,800 seats. Each facility was structured based on helping the acoustics that are heard inside each building. Throughout the past 10 years, The Parco della Musica has become Europe's most visited location for music.
Although this was one of the hardest meetings to sit through because we were all so exhausted from the jet lag, by the time we all stood up, we were ready to continue exploring Rome! That night we found a whole new large neighborhood to walk through and then later walked right into The Roman Pantheon! This ancient piece of history is planted right in the middle of restaurants, stores and plenty of tourists. It actually looks cramped and out of place sitting in the midst of action. However, it was incredible to see one of the most-preserved ancient pieces of Rome's architecture and history.
Later in the evening, the 14 of us ate dinner at a cute restaurant tucked in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Rome. Although Rome is basically a melting pot of 50 different cities, I did come across a few to capture my heart, such as Spagna. At this restaurant I was finally able to order my all-time favorite dry red wine - a Chianti Classico, which ended up being 32 euro and well, well worth it. For dinner, I ate a delicious zucchini pie and dessert was THE best and richest dark chocolate and pistachio gelato from a shop nearby. It was by far some of the best gelato I have ever eaten throughout my trips to Europe. I still salivate thinking about it today!
"All roads lead to Rome!"
On Tuesday, May 12th we began our day with breakfast at Hotel Atlantico followed by a meeting of the overview of tourism in Italy.
Italy is the fifth country in the world and third in Europe for international arrivals. How amazing is that?! I also know for a fact that it is one of the most expensive places to study abroad for students, however it is hard to think about that when experiencing the culture and lifestyle firsthand. Italy's boot-shaped peninsula withholds different geographies and climates throughout the north, central and southern sections of the country. Together it compromises of some of the best landscapes worldwide because it is full of mountains, plains, lakes, coasts and islands.
Italy is made up of 20 different regions - all very distinctive from each other. Most of the time, the landscapes and lifestyles are the most different from each other, therefore the best way to distinguish between the regions. For example, each region will have different dialects and slang terms in their Italian language. On the other hand, the Italians actual physical appearance can also be different. Yet, the most interesting is that fact that each regions' people are loyal to their own region, therefore they believe that theirs is the best compared to the others. The term for this action is 'Campanilismo', which literally means 'the love of one's own bell-tower'.
Finally, my favorite topic to learn and talk about is the differences in each regions food and wine. Recipes are handed down throughout several generations in each region, making the differences quite unique, which causes refusals from the Italians to try the other regions dishes. As much as I would like to continue talking about the food and wine of each region, there is quite enough for another full post. Stay tuned for it!
Afterwards, a good amount of us ventured to a nearby restaurant called L'Europe, where I had one of my favorite dishes - prosciutto wrapped melon. It's basically perfection for your taste buds on a plate. A red table house wine also accompanied our meals, which was the first of many for this trip!
Best Moment: Kristina hitting Noelle in the head with her selfie stick.
Next, we all took our first trip on the metro taking us to tour the Auditorium Parco della Musica. This large music complex holds three large dome buildings - each bigger than the last. The smallest facility holds about 700, the middle can sustain about 1,200 people and the largest has 2,800 seats. Each facility was structured based on helping the acoustics that are heard inside each building. Throughout the past 10 years, The Parco della Musica has become Europe's most visited location for music.
Although this was one of the hardest meetings to sit through because we were all so exhausted from the jet lag, by the time we all stood up, we were ready to continue exploring Rome! That night we found a whole new large neighborhood to walk through and then later walked right into The Roman Pantheon! This ancient piece of history is planted right in the middle of restaurants, stores and plenty of tourists. It actually looks cramped and out of place sitting in the midst of action. However, it was incredible to see one of the most-preserved ancient pieces of Rome's architecture and history.
Later in the evening, the 14 of us ate dinner at a cute restaurant tucked in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Rome. Although Rome is basically a melting pot of 50 different cities, I did come across a few to capture my heart, such as Spagna. At this restaurant I was finally able to order my all-time favorite dry red wine - a Chianti Classico, which ended up being 32 euro and well, well worth it. For dinner, I ate a delicious zucchini pie and dessert was THE best and richest dark chocolate and pistachio gelato from a shop nearby. It was by far some of the best gelato I have ever eaten throughout my trips to Europe. I still salivate thinking about it today!