The first week was already almost over and after a great weekend with new friends I was looking forward to the Temple Rome day trip to Todi. Bright and early on Sunday morning we piled onto 3 charter buses and starting making our way out of Rome and into the beautiful rural countryside of Italy. An hour and half and a nap later we found ourselves looking out the window at the hilltop town of Todi. The buses parked and everyone went out to roam the town for 3 hours. Ancient cobblestone roads, tiny winding back alleys, pigeons nestled into stone walls, and picturesque landscapes revealed themselves while we toured the medieval town. Two hours wasn’t long enough, but we were all looking forward to a wine tasting and an eight course meal that would soon be served to us in Tittigano. The ride to Tittigano was an interesting one. Points for the Italian charter bus drivers who can maneuver their way from Todi
to Tittigano on winding narrow roads surrounded by vineyards and sunflower fields. Tittigano welcomed all one hundred and fifty of us with five different kinds of homemade pizza for appetizers and a view of the countryside filled with vineyards surrounding a massive lake. After pizza we filed into a huge stone building where set tables waited for us and our eight course meal. The meal was of course amazing and none of us wanted to leave this gorgeous town, but the day was coming to an end and everyone was tired, satisfied, and full. We all needed our rest because Monday was the start of classes!
I must say that I’ve never loved every single one of my classes and every single professor, but at Temple Rome, I can strongly say that I LOVE every class and I love every professor. Just with one week of Italian class, I’ve been able to leave my best friend (mini Italian dictionary) at home. I know, I know, I’m moving on to bigger and better things like Italian newspapers, haha. My two art history classes include two hours of lecture a week with three hour excursions to sights pertaining to the class. For my Galleries and Studios class we already went to the French academy and had a super exclusive private tour into the gardens and an artists studio who is currently living and working at the academy…. yeah, awesome.
Awesome classes in Rome is definitely a check off the list, but wait, birthday in Rome is absolutely a check off the list. A week of classes ended with my birthday night to the start off the second weekend. I had been researching the best discotheques in Rome and found La Maison, a local nightclub in the heart of Rome. My birthday night brought together all the great friends that I’ve made here so far and a cake that they surprised me with. Then the fun really started when we walked to La Maison (just happening to pass the Vatican and Saint Peters square on the way there) which sits on the Tiber river underneath one of the oldest bridges in Rome right next to Castle Sant’Angelo. Now that’s what I call a birthday celebration. We danced all night long and woke up early Friday morning to go vintage shopping near Piazza Navona. Dinner brought us to the famous Pizzeria da Baffetto where the line starts at six but the restaurant doesn’t open until six thirty. We were first in line! Paper thin, crispy, cheesy, Italian goodness was melting in our mouths and the great feeling of being full was again present.
Ahh, let’s see what this next week brings me.
