This week was one for the books. My family arrived on Friday morning: Maureen, Liam, Meg, aunt, uncle and Kelsey. They were exhausted but they rallied, and walked an impressive six miles and saw a good part of the city. That night, we went to Jetlag64, one of our preferred places to eat and introduced my family to Italian cuisine. Just as a point of reference, my roommate I will refer to as Kelsey1 and Kelsey my cousin, Kelsey2.
Before we ordered, Liam turns to Kelsey1 and says “I see there are baked potatoes on the menu..” to which Kelsey1 replied, “yes.” He then proceeds after a brief pause saying hopefully, “…could they…mash them?” and Kelsey just began to laugh and politely explains to him that menu items cannot be modified here because Italians do not understand convenience or variations in personal taste. That was the first funny Liam made while they were here, and trust me it wasn’t the last.
Upon learning that Kelsey is related to Pope John XXIII, my uncle basically had a heart attack and talked the Kelsey the rest of the day, flaunting years of catholic school knowledge and fun facts about John XXIII. One of my best friends from home, Mary, also visited this week and the three of us waited for my family to arrive at the Vatican Museums on Saturday morning. We knew full well that it would be an absolute mad house being that it was the day before Easter, but we needed to get it done and over with, not to mention Kelsey and I knew all the ins and outs of getting around the place.
After seeing the Sistine Chapel and the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, they came back to my apartment to look around. Mom wasn’t particularly happy with how far away from school the apartment was, but I assured her that the neighborhood was safe and we were able to experience more of the city that way. That night, Mary, Kelsey1 and I ate at our apartment and I let my family fend for themselves.
Sunday was Easter Sunday, which meant that the entire city was buzzing. Although it was pouring in the morning, we made it to an American service that was close to the Vatican. This church was absolutely beautiful and the priest who led the mass was vibrant and such a delight, you could tell he really loved what he was preaching. After church, we walked back to their hotel and quickly changed to catch a train to Orvieto. This town was one that was recommended to us by one of my other aunts and cousin who had been there a year or two before, not to mention I’ve seen this little town on Pinterest many times! We met Mary and Kelsey1 at the main train station and ran to catch our train. After about an hour and a half, we made it to our destination and were away from the madness that was Rome.
Since it was about 2:45 when we arrived, we were all pretty hungry. We found this cute little restaurant that had just enough room for the 9 of us. The waiter who was mid 20s took a particular liking to Mary, and kept making jokes about marrying her and coming back to the states. We had one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted, but I was pretty jealous of Liam who had decided to get steak and it was heavenly. Afterwards, someone in our group asked one of the staff to get a picture of our family outside of the restaurant, and the next thing you know the entire staff was told to come outside to be in the picture with the Americans, because you know, in Italy you can just shut down the kitchen for 5 minutes to take a picture.
Orvieto was one of the cutest towns I’ve been to. Even though it was still cloudy and very windy, it was picturesque and quaint. All of the shops we went in had handmade goods and lots of beautiful ceramics. If you’re ever looking for an adorable trip to a real authentic Italian town, any medieval town in Umbria will do just fine.
On Tuesday, I met my family at the Pantheon and we walked around downtown some more. They saw Piazza Navona, which is one of my favorites in the city, as well as the Trevi Fountain (which is less than impressive because its still under construction). We then had an appointment to pick up our tickets for the papal audience on Wednesday. My uncle’s priest friend hooked us up with some tickets and gave us a tour of the seminary, which was pretty amazing. After stopping back home for a little while, I met them for dinner at a restaurant called Abruzzi which is Cardinal Dolans favorite place to eat when he comes to Rome, so of course we had to try it. Not only did it live up to our expectations, but Maureen got an herb risotto dish that was to die for. Well played Cardinal, well played.
Wednesday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to go see Papa. It was a long wait, but well worth it. The Pope is the cutest man in the world, and you can tell he’s just the most optimistic little man ever. I think the coolest part about seeing him, besides getting so close, was that I understood almost all of his message to the public in Italian. This has been my hardest semester yet in terms of learning the Italian language but in that moment I really felt as though it had paid off. I spent the rest of my Wednesday in class until 9 and then came home and passed out.
After getting out of school at 6 the next evening, I met my family for dinner. Liam had begun to list the things he didn’t like about Rome, which seemed to outweigh the things he did like, but it seems like his expectations may have been a bit high. We ate at another recommended (and delicious) restaurant along the Tevere and then said our goodbyes over gelato. I was sad to see my family go, but they certainly looked like they had had a long week and couldn’t wait to be back in their beds at home.
On Friday (Mary’s last day) we decided to go to one of the many catacombs of Rome. Our walk there was interesting solely because there was barely a sidewalk or signs to follow, but once we got there, the ten-minute walk to the actual entrance was lovely. There were cypress trees that lined the main driveway as well as a herd of sheep and cacti all over. I was slightly disappointed that the catacombs were led by a tour guide because I would have liked to walk around freely and explore, but I would’ve gotten lost anyway so its not that big of a deal. They were definitely something I’d recommend seeing, not just because of the dedicated religious story behind it, but also based on the historical significance it holds. As a matter of fact, that’s how I feel about most of the city: whether or not you’re a religious person, Rome is an amazing place solely because of the history behind it.
I’ve been looking for a rosary that I really like for some weeks now, but decided after our visit to the catacombs that what I really wanted was something more practical that I could use on a regular basis. I found a hematite rosary bracelet that I was very drawn to. Not because it was black (that’s a given) but because hematite is a grounding stone, and I’ve rarely seen any combination of chakra related stones and religious jewelry. It was possibly the best purchase I’ve made thus far.
As this week is winding down, I am preparing for finals and a nice weekend getaway next week in Cinque Terre. I think I was slightly disappointed that my family didn’t love it here as much as I do, but that could be due to a number of factors, like jetlag, differences in eating times and being in a loud, crowded city for a week straight. But I think that it taught me a lot about perception and how people can filter experiences differently. I can’t quite place how I felt the first week I was here either, but I’m sure it was much different than how I feel about this city now.
da Roma,
Kat
Before we ordered, Liam turns to Kelsey1 and says “I see there are baked potatoes on the menu..” to which Kelsey1 replied, “yes.” He then proceeds after a brief pause saying hopefully, “…could they…mash them?” and Kelsey just began to laugh and politely explains to him that menu items cannot be modified here because Italians do not understand convenience or variations in personal taste. That was the first funny Liam made while they were here, and trust me it wasn’t the last.
Upon learning that Kelsey is related to Pope John XXIII, my uncle basically had a heart attack and talked the Kelsey the rest of the day, flaunting years of catholic school knowledge and fun facts about John XXIII. One of my best friends from home, Mary, also visited this week and the three of us waited for my family to arrive at the Vatican Museums on Saturday morning. We knew full well that it would be an absolute mad house being that it was the day before Easter, but we needed to get it done and over with, not to mention Kelsey and I knew all the ins and outs of getting around the place.
After seeing the Sistine Chapel and the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, they came back to my apartment to look around. Mom wasn’t particularly happy with how far away from school the apartment was, but I assured her that the neighborhood was safe and we were able to experience more of the city that way. That night, Mary, Kelsey1 and I ate at our apartment and I let my family fend for themselves.
Sunday was Easter Sunday, which meant that the entire city was buzzing. Although it was pouring in the morning, we made it to an American service that was close to the Vatican. This church was absolutely beautiful and the priest who led the mass was vibrant and such a delight, you could tell he really loved what he was preaching. After church, we walked back to their hotel and quickly changed to catch a train to Orvieto. This town was one that was recommended to us by one of my other aunts and cousin who had been there a year or two before, not to mention I’ve seen this little town on Pinterest many times! We met Mary and Kelsey1 at the main train station and ran to catch our train. After about an hour and a half, we made it to our destination and were away from the madness that was Rome.
Since it was about 2:45 when we arrived, we were all pretty hungry. We found this cute little restaurant that had just enough room for the 9 of us. The waiter who was mid 20s took a particular liking to Mary, and kept making jokes about marrying her and coming back to the states. We had one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted, but I was pretty jealous of Liam who had decided to get steak and it was heavenly. Afterwards, someone in our group asked one of the staff to get a picture of our family outside of the restaurant, and the next thing you know the entire staff was told to come outside to be in the picture with the Americans, because you know, in Italy you can just shut down the kitchen for 5 minutes to take a picture.
Orvieto was one of the cutest towns I’ve been to. Even though it was still cloudy and very windy, it was picturesque and quaint. All of the shops we went in had handmade goods and lots of beautiful ceramics. If you’re ever looking for an adorable trip to a real authentic Italian town, any medieval town in Umbria will do just fine.
On Tuesday, I met my family at the Pantheon and we walked around downtown some more. They saw Piazza Navona, which is one of my favorites in the city, as well as the Trevi Fountain (which is less than impressive because its still under construction). We then had an appointment to pick up our tickets for the papal audience on Wednesday. My uncle’s priest friend hooked us up with some tickets and gave us a tour of the seminary, which was pretty amazing. After stopping back home for a little while, I met them for dinner at a restaurant called Abruzzi which is Cardinal Dolans favorite place to eat when he comes to Rome, so of course we had to try it. Not only did it live up to our expectations, but Maureen got an herb risotto dish that was to die for. Well played Cardinal, well played.
Wednesday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to go see Papa. It was a long wait, but well worth it. The Pope is the cutest man in the world, and you can tell he’s just the most optimistic little man ever. I think the coolest part about seeing him, besides getting so close, was that I understood almost all of his message to the public in Italian. This has been my hardest semester yet in terms of learning the Italian language but in that moment I really felt as though it had paid off. I spent the rest of my Wednesday in class until 9 and then came home and passed out.
After getting out of school at 6 the next evening, I met my family for dinner. Liam had begun to list the things he didn’t like about Rome, which seemed to outweigh the things he did like, but it seems like his expectations may have been a bit high. We ate at another recommended (and delicious) restaurant along the Tevere and then said our goodbyes over gelato. I was sad to see my family go, but they certainly looked like they had had a long week and couldn’t wait to be back in their beds at home.
On Friday (Mary’s last day) we decided to go to one of the many catacombs of Rome. Our walk there was interesting solely because there was barely a sidewalk or signs to follow, but once we got there, the ten-minute walk to the actual entrance was lovely. There were cypress trees that lined the main driveway as well as a herd of sheep and cacti all over. I was slightly disappointed that the catacombs were led by a tour guide because I would have liked to walk around freely and explore, but I would’ve gotten lost anyway so its not that big of a deal. They were definitely something I’d recommend seeing, not just because of the dedicated religious story behind it, but also based on the historical significance it holds. As a matter of fact, that’s how I feel about most of the city: whether or not you’re a religious person, Rome is an amazing place solely because of the history behind it.
I’ve been looking for a rosary that I really like for some weeks now, but decided after our visit to the catacombs that what I really wanted was something more practical that I could use on a regular basis. I found a hematite rosary bracelet that I was very drawn to. Not because it was black (that’s a given) but because hematite is a grounding stone, and I’ve rarely seen any combination of chakra related stones and religious jewelry. It was possibly the best purchase I’ve made thus far.
As this week is winding down, I am preparing for finals and a nice weekend getaway next week in Cinque Terre. I think I was slightly disappointed that my family didn’t love it here as much as I do, but that could be due to a number of factors, like jetlag, differences in eating times and being in a loud, crowded city for a week straight. But I think that it taught me a lot about perception and how people can filter experiences differently. I can’t quite place how I felt the first week I was here either, but I’m sure it was much different than how I feel about this city now.
da Roma,
Kat