When in Rome…

After a restful ten-hour slumber, I woke up from my apartment with a “ready-to-go” attitude. The jet lag finally left my system. It was mid-noon already and I immediately went outside to explore what the outdoor markets in the Campo had to offer. The food here is surprisingly cheap; pizza/strawberries/loaves of bread/coffee cost just two Euros or less, and everything appears to have been made fresh. It was also interesting to discover the twists and turns of the streets of Rome. The alleyways are made of cobblestone and the drivers are not afraid to drive along the narrow paths. I swear that I have already had over ten CLOSE encounters with random cars and motorcycles. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive.

During the afternoon, I went with a couple of my peers to visit the Pantheon for the first time, a temple made for the Gods. The designs were very basic, but astounding at the same time. The wide oculus at the top of the dome was my favorite part of the site. The Romans were very clever architects, to say the least.

The entire group had a welcoming dinner later in the evening at Trattoria Moderna, and it was a full-blown meal. The fancy restaurant really set the tone for a warm and casual dinner with fellow students and professors. The appetizers—octopus, sword fish, porchietto, cheese, bread, etc—were very tasty and complemented each other. We had the option of choosing between risotto and lasagna for the first course; I had the former and it was a very rich mixture. I had roasted pork for the second course, and that was also substantial. Many students were already full by this time, but there’s always room for dessert. Baked peaches, chocolate delicacies, and tiramisu were split evenly among everyone. I was so tempted to have a glass of wine like everyone else, but I had to settle for water. Glasses upon glasses of water…

Plate full of desserts.