Being from Upstate New York, studying abroad in London can sometimes make you feel like you're not too far from home. It's the winter season, so of course you get rainy days, cold nights, and chilly winds, just like Upstate New York. Minus the inches of snow and freezing temperatures. So to get away from our home away from home, this weekend a couple of my study abroad friends and I decided to visit the beautiful city of ancient Rome. Upon arrival at our lavish Airbnb, our lovely host decided to have us walk up what she calls four flights of stairs, but by American standards constitutes as five flights, while she took the elevator. After finally making it to the fourth floor, our "welcoming" host decided to charge us an additional €95 "people tax" which, on the online listing was written in an off-set paragraph in Italian (touché lady touché). Aside from the terrible welcoming party, the rest of Rome went as followed:
FRIDAY
We Dabbed in front of the Colosseum, which was a convenient 15-minute walk from us. For those of you who don't know what the Dab is, you've probably been living under a rock for the past year so you should probably youtube it. After our tour of the nice architecture and scenery the Colosseum had to offer, we then had a pretty good and cheap Italian pizza dinner at a restaurant located literally right across from the Colosseum. We got a whole personal pizza, wine, and dessert for €10. Later, we visited Trajan's Column and the Trevi Fountain. Its artwork is simply breathtaking. One can only truly appreciate its beauty in person. The rest of the day was pretty much spent exploring the rest of the beautiful artwork and buildings in the area. That night, we attended a nightclub which was located not too far from where we stayed. If it's one thing to say about Italian night clubs, it's that they are where people literally can let loose. Italy has an array of nightclubs to attend. From strippers, spa/bars, to burlesque shows, Italy has many options for the party goers, and you're allowed to smoke inside of some of them. The music selection is usually house music.
SATURDAY
After a late start to our day, the crew and I made our way to Rome's Carnival Festival. Carnival is a Roman 19th-century version of a Disney Parade. You see an entire royal courtyard, with a royal band and royal ponies that they ride on during the parade completed with confetti and police escorts. The children dress up in costumes and enjoy all of the entertainment that the street performers offer. After carnival, we visited Spanish Steps monument. If you're looking for a place to get a great selfie and skyline view of Rome, this is a must visit. The view is breathtaking and perfect to view the sunset. Of course being with a group of ladies, lead us to visit Rome's shopping district located near the Spanish Steps. High-end fashion stores such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Moncler, and every other store from fashionista heaven are located near the Spanish Steps. After a nice traditional Italian alfredo dinner, we stopped by one of the many gelato shops and had some tasty Nutella-flavored gelato. Once we filled our bellies up, we waddled our way back to our flat to do what most people in the Italian culture do after a nice meal.....sleep. After sleeping the night away and ignoring plans of going out to a local club, we instead finished our last night in Rome with a "bang" and played drinking games and loud music. Overall Rome is definitely one of the greatest cities on the planet and one must visit if they ever get the chance. It is a beautiful and humbling experience that I would recommend for everyone.
