Recapturing My Time in Roma

How do I start my last blog post from Rome? How did I get here and where did the past seven weeks go? I would love to know. They have been packed full of travel experiences, churches, schoolwork, and learning about Roman culture. Thank you for completing the journey with me.

If you are just stumbling upon my page, enjoy reading about three important aspects of Rome. Learn about how an American feels in Rome and the U.S. products available here. Learn about one piazza, the Campo de'Fiori. Learn about wine and then other Roman traditions. Watch me embrace my time in Rome and watch my appreciation for the new culture grow.

If you are wondering where I am now, I am working on finishing my undergraduate degree in Communication Arts and Sciences. I am spending time with my family and friends. Most importantly, I am taking my dog Marley on adventures and giving him a life any dog or human alike would be jealous of. If only he could have come to Italy. He may not be well trained like the dogs here, but he would have loved coming into stores and restaurants with me.

Here's to you, Rome. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for allowing me to grow as a person. And most importantly, thank you for letting me feel at home in your piazzas, side streets, and gelaterias. I will not soon forget my time here.

Football!

During my trip to Zurich this past weekend, I got a firsthand experience with the Euro Cup. Fans flocked Zurich even though the Turkey-Croatia game was located in another city. But chaos still ensued. Riot police were present and fans chanted songs from their countries.

In Italy, it is hard to avoid soccer fever. When Italy won big games, the street outside my window went crazy. Horns honked, people sang and hung out their windows, and Italian flags could be seen everywhere. I always thought American had an obsession to football, our version, but it is nothing compared to the investment fans put into their soccer teams in Europe.

If you are having a hard time imagining the chanting and the scenes of fans, consider a Penn State football game or any other big U.S. college and imagine the noise of the fans before entering the game. To successfully compare this scene to soccer, multiply the image in your head by ten. This man on the left was not the only fan with the emblem of his team buzzed into his hair cut.

Directions to Markets in Rome

To visit the three maps I discussed in my previous blog post, just follow the map above with these directions:
-Begin at the Piramide Metro Station
-Walk down Via Marmorata past Viale M. Gelsomini
-The Mercato di Testaccio will be on your left down Via G. B. Bodoni
-Walk back to Via Marmorata and take a left, heading towards the Tiber River
-Cross the bridge and walk through the Piazza Porta Portese
-Walk up Via di Porta Portese which becomes Via Induno
-Turn right onto Viale Trastevere
-Make your first left onto Via Emilio Morosini
-Take the first right on Via di San Cosimato
-You will run into Piazza San Cosimato where the market is held
-Continue up Via di San Cosimato and through Piazza San Calisto
-Turn right on Via Arco San Calisto
-Make the first left on Via San Calisto
-Walk through Piazza San Apollonia and up Via del Moro
-Walk through Piazza Trilussa and make a left on Lungotevere
-Cross the first bridge Ponte Sisto
-Walk straight down Via del Pettinari which will become Via Arco del Monte
-You will run into Via dei Giubbonari where you can turn left
-You will run into the Campo de'Fiori and the final market

Markets in Rome

Rome has a number of open-air markets sprinkled throughout the city. On the left you will see the market in the Campo de'Fiori. This market offers its shoppers a variety of fresh fruit, meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables. Make sure you check out the stands selling fresh garden salad mixes and the ones selling rice, dried fruit, and candy. At the far end of the market, you will find a beautiful flower stand. A clothes stand also offers very discounted souvenir items.

The Mercato di Testaccio is a covered market. The outside is lined with cheap clothes and shoes, but inside you will find what a number of local shoppers come to buy. Meat and cheese stands line the outside, while fruit and vegetable stand offer shoppers everything they are looking for. Make sure to try the different bread stands for some freshly baked bread.

The market in Piazza San Cosimato is known for its salami and cheese selections. Unlike the market in the Campo de'Fiori, the stands in this open air market are permanent structures. Fruit and vegetable stands can also be found here.

When you are planning to visit these markets, take into consideration that they are only open from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM Monday through Saturday.

What to Drink in Rome

Once again, the Eyewitness Guide to Rome has proved to be a very useful tool in understanding the city better. The book contains useful information about what places to visit and also information about where to eat and what to drink in Rome. Next to a long list of information about wine, there are also some other recommended drinks to try.

Many Italians enjoy a nice apéritifs. These drinks are bitter and herb-flavored. Some of the most popular apéritifs are the Martini, Campari, or Aperol. Italians tend to drink these drinks with ice and a soda.

If you are looking for an after dinner drink, order a digestivi or amari. These drinks will help to settle your stomach after a traditional Italian meal.

For more information about how to get your copy of the Eyewitness Guide to Rome which is published by Dorling Kindersley, visit http://www.amazon.com/Rome-EYEWITNESS-TRAVEL-GUIDE-Publishing/dp/075661550X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213624344&sr=8-1. The information provided above can be found on page 315.

Porta Portese

If you are looking for a real Italian experience, check out the Porta Portese open-air flea market. This market is in Trastevere and is open Sundays between 7 AM and 1 PM. Vendors come from all over and line the streets for over a mile. When you are walking up to the market, you will see Italians pull suitcases behind them to carry their purchases. Vendors sell clothes, shoes, and jewelry at low prices. Italians readily dig through the mounds of clothes hastily thrown onto tables to make their selections. Prices for clothes are as low as one Euro. Make sure you are ready to try out your Italian or bring a phrase book because very few vendors speak English. You will also be able to find other treasures such as suitcases, antiques, and household products. If you would like more information about this Italian tradition, visit http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/S23959.html.

Spanish Traditions in Barcelona

This past weekend I had an interesting trip to Barcelona. I saw beautiful sites like the Sagrada Familia Church, Guell Park, and the Picasso Museum. I also stayed in the first hostel where I did not feel safe.

But thankfully the Spanish have a tradition of drinking a sweet red wine called sangria. This wine is survived by the glass, quarter liter, half liter, and whole liter. As I sat around watching other diners, I found most ordered a liter for the table.

Sangria is made by putting some sugar, orange juice, and orange and peach slices into however much wine you choose. This is a recipe you should try at home because if the outcome is anything like what I tasted in Spain, you will not be disappointed.

Rome versus Paris

While I was in France this weekend, I wanted to compare French traditions to those of the Romans. Right away I learned that long meals also take place in Paris. Be prepared to wait an hour and a half for your food in a nicer restaurant. At least while you wait in Paris you get free bread and water! Make sure to take advantage of this while it lasts.

Another commonality between the two cities is how they socialize and use outside spaces. While Paris does not have piazzas like Rome, they do have the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. Make sure you put it on your to-do list to visit here after dark. Bring a bottle of wine and some bread with you when you go. You will hear music and continually have to turn street vendors away, just like in a Roman piazza. And every hour on the hour, you will get a free light show as thousands of lights flash on and off up and down the tower. It is an event you should make a priority when in Paris.

Changing an Idea

I chose the topic of wine to focus on n Italian tradition. I have come to find, that I do not think there is enough information to write an enjoyable blog about the sole tradition of wine. While I will continue to inform you of interesting wine experiences I learn about here, I will broaden my focus to include all Italian traditions. From riding Vespas to the ritual of the cafe, I would like to look at the daily happenings in the lives of Italians surrounding me here in Rome.

I would like to start with one of my favorite traditions I have noticed so far. Each day anywhere between two and five in the afternoon, stores and restaurants take siestas. They close down and the shop owners have some time on their own. In the summer this is a good way to avoid the heat. But don't try to go anywhere during this time because shopping becomes limited. A number of gelato shops and bars remain open, but dine in restaurants often take this break. I recently tried to go out to a small restaurant for dinner in Trastevere. They owner was resting at one of his tables and a cook could be seen in the back. But when we asked for a table he said no. He explained that he would be closed another twenty minutes.

Whenever you are out and about, make sure you account for this siesta time! Could you imagine stores in the US closing for a nap break? But once I got accustomed to the routine, I know it is something I will miss back home in the States.

Observations on Wine

When I came to Rome, I expected wine to flow freely. While wine is sold in grocery stores and at restaurants, it is not as inexpensive as I had one thought it would be. Italians generally sell wine by the bottle. While this is good for a couple, this makes drinking wine on your own a more expensive process. Wine does come by the glass, but just like at home, the price is much steeper. On a very strict budget, this makes drinking wine out very difficult.

I have not seen a pattern with wine glasses used by Italians. At home, my mom has her glass for red and a separate kind of glass for white and pretty much everything else in between. I was not sure if this was a world trend, or simply a US one. At one dinner, my group ordered bottles of red wine and bottles of white wine. Each person received the same style glass. Do you think this changes in more expensive restaurants? Maybe I will have to take myself out to dinner and find out.

History of Wine

It was the Greeks and Etruscans who first brought wine to Italy. They found the land produced excellent results. As the Romans began making their own wine its popularity greatly increased. In the beginning of the Christian era, wine was mixed with honey, spices, or salt water to create a number of different flavors. The Romans produced a wine with much higher alcohol content then we are used to today, so they often diluted it with water. It was the Romans who first stored wine in barrels to help improve its taste. For more information or to see where this information came from, visit http://www.lifeinitaly.com/wines/roman-history.asp.

Throughout my time in Rome, I have come to notice that Romans take their wine very seriously. Wine is often sold by the bottle in restaurants and Italians normally have one glass per meal. In the summer Italians tend to drink different wines. These wines are much lighter and are generally Pinot Grigios, Proseccos, Gavis, and Aneis'. If you would like to know more about these wines before ordering one, check out http://www.lifeinitaly.com/wines/summer-wines.asp.

One of my previous posts was discussed how helpful wine labels can be. If you know what each label is discussing, you will choose the best wine. To further understand these labels review this information http://www.lifeinitaly.com/wines/. Wines are sold based on a number of guidelines. If you are looking for a better wine, try one with a DOCG designation which is stricter than DOC. These designations indicate where the wine comes from, the content of alcohol, and yield of grapes per acre, and a number of other helpful tidbits of information. IGT designated wines are less strict than both DOC and DOCG. However, it is still worthwhile to try tavolo wines, which are not put to the test of these designations because the producers do not want to get involved with the government laws.

Becoming a Wine Connoisseur

In my first week in Rome, I have kept my eyes open to events related to wine. So far, I have seen a number of wine bars and even a huge wine forum. I am currently looking more into the event to check out if I can go. If you want to know more about it check out the website, http://www.vinoforum.it/ita/default.asp. And if your Italian skills aren't proficient enough to browse through the information, check out a website translator I found at http://www.freetranslation.com/.

I have also started doing some own wine tasting of my own. As a college student, I have had my fair share of Franzia thanks to its cheap price. But here in Rome the story is much different. Wine is sold in the supermarket which makes one stop shopping even more convenient. But more importantly, wine is very inexpensive. For around 3 euros, I could get 1.5 liters of Fanta or 1.5 liters of wine. While, I am sure this is not the best wine Rome has to offer, it is still a definite step up from Franzia.

So far I have tried a red wine and a pink wine. Currently, I do not enjoy dry wines and have stayed away from white. But as this is a learning experience, I will try one when I buy my next bottle.

The wine bottles are very interesting here and contain different information than at home. For instance, the percent alcohol by volume is listed, as well as the best temperature at which to serve the wine, and which foods to serve with each wine. This information will be very helpful to in learning more about each of the wines I try.

Vino!

When I think about all the things that make Rome an appealing city, one of the things on the top of the list is the unbelievable wine. While my young palate is still quite inexperienced, I still noticed the huge difference between the box of Franzia I have sitting back in my apartment at school and the 0.87 Euro boxed wine I tasted today.

While you may laugh at my lack of wine knowledge, I would like to take my time in Rome to explore this. What makes certain wines taste differently? And let me try out on of the few appropriate wine vocab terms I know and ask what makes each bouquet unique?

In writing a blog on the subject of wine, I think it is only fair to try as many different kinds as I can in my few shorts weeks here. Unfortunately, I will have to suffer through this, darn. A trip to Tuscany is in order to visit a fine Italian vineyard. Again, as difficult as this may be, I think I'll be able to squeeze it in. After all, how many times in my life will I legitimately be able to say, "When in Rome?"

And maybe I'll really be able to be wine savvy when this is over.