Le Vacanze

Two and a half years ago, I went on a trip that probably changed my life. 2 weeks in Italy. That was the culmination of my senior year of high school and also my initial studies of one of the most influential men in my life, Dante Alighieri. With the "Dante Club", I traveled to Rome, Siena, Florence, and Milan. I remember very vividly crying at the top of the Spanish steps with the overwhelming thought that I might never be able to come back.
Well, that was a silly thought wasn't it.
I went back to Rome over New Year's and I got to do it all again.
Look up into the Pantheon.
Walk through the Roman Forum.
Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain.
How strange to think that the last time I did all these things, I was a journalism major studying Spanish with really long hair.
When I first started my search for a study abroad program, Rome was the place I had to be. I ultimately settled on Bologna because I couldn't find a program that fit what I was looking for. After going back, I am very happy with my decision.
Rome will always have a place in my heart, but between the tourists, the overly-theatrical Italian salesmen and the price, I don't think I have a place there.
I didn't speak a word of Italian the entire weekend. In every store, they would blatantly ignore my very clearly worded Italian and responded only in English. My meals there were not nearly as memorable as the delectable Spaccanapoli in Bologna. And the tourist attraction after attraction just felt fake. My jaw will always drop as I turn the corner to see the Pantheon in the midst of gelato shops and a Mcdonalds, but when a million other people are taking the exact same photo as you, it doesn't really feel special anymore.

 Me at the Coliseum. Making fun of other people's photos.

 Jumping in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

On the other hand, New Years was probably the most authentic thing I did there. My group parked ourselves just off the steps of the Vittorio Emmanuele monument and watched as people poured into Piazza Venezia. After midnight, we followed the crowd in a parade down Via Nazionale. Some girl grabbed my hand and wove me through the lines of people following her friends. When I asked her where we were going she just laughed and then shushed me. I decided it would be better if I let go...

Celebrating!

I spent the rest of my break traveling in Austria with Kyle. And unfortunately, I did a terrible job of documenting it. We spent time in Salzburg and Vienna, with one day of skiing. An interesting decision since Kyle had never ever skied before and we refused to pay for the pricey lessons. He spent most of the day on his butt....

I discovered that Austrians all speak English. A trend I'm starting to find in so many other places in Europe that aren't Italy. Once you get out of Rome and Florence, Italians have a very poor practical knowledge of the language. But then again, how can they really learn how to speak it when they sit in lecture halls with 300 other students and every American movie or show is dubbed instead of subtitled. Either the system isn't working, or some people just don't want to learn it or are intimidated by it.  Sometimes I don't blame them. When my roommate tries to imitate my American accent, she makes me sound like a cave-man who has rocks in his mouth. I love speaking Italian. It's such a beautiful language in such a beautiful country, I think everyone should come here and try it for themselves. Maybe even skipping over the cheesy photos of the Coliseum and the over-priced tourist menu.