Wednesday, March 12

One of the most amazing things about Rome so far has been how almost everything we've seen in the city, whether it is an ancient ruin or simply a small flower box on a window sill, has been beautiful. On the first two days we were focused mainly on the big things such as the Roman Forum (on the way to which many funny things happened) and the Trevi Fountain, but today we got the chance to take in some of the smaller joys of Rome. After a fantastic morning at the Capitoline Museum right next door to the ruins of the Forum, the group crossed the Tiber River, or the Tevere as the Italians call it, into the charming neighborhood of Trastevere. We gathered in the Piazza di Santa Maria, a perfect example of a Roman piazza complete with cobblestones, a medieval church, and several outdoor cafés. After hearing a quick history of the church, which was supposedly a brothel in the time of Christ,  from our tour guide Eric, we split off to explore the crooked and character-filled streets of Trastevere, which translates appropriately to "across the tiber". After strolling through the sunshine (and vespa) filled side streets for a few minutes my little group ended up under the umbrellas of a small café. We ordered cappuccinos and hot tea and watched the people go by until we finished our drinks. Then, instead of moving on, we decided to stay at the café for just a little while longer. Soon enough the hours began to slip by and we watched the slanted shadows of buildings grow longer and longer on the cobblestones. We saw Italian women expertly navigating the treacherous terrain in stiletto heels, little old men walking their dogs while smoking huge cigars, and countless other tour groups speaking a plethora of languages from German to Hebrew. By the time we had to leave to meet up with group I was completely relaxed and felt like I had really taken in every detail of the little street we were on. Even though there was no towering monument or famous statue in front of us, this afternoon was extremely rewarding and one of my favorite experiences of the trip so far.

Rose Lovy '16

Cynthia Cheng '16

WARNING: Order a "Peperone Pizza" in Italy and you may be surprised to find an assortment of bell peppers atop your pizza. Turns out the closest equivalent to the American pepperoni pizza is the "diavolo."

Italian Cuisine 101 lesson by Cynthia, our resident food portraitist.