May 12th Day 2 Rome:
Kristina's FitBit Information: 8.6 Miles walked & 21,300 Steps
Victoria wrote “Waking up is always a
struggle for me, but on the first morning in Rome it was the easiest thing to
do.”
Kristina wrote on day 2 “My feet were
already starting to hurt from all of the walking!
After eating breakfast in the hotel which had
a wide variety of food from meats, cheeses, baked goods, and fruits, We made
our way to the meeting room located in the Hotel Arizona. After we had our fill of fresh cappuccinos and
pastries, we all came together in a meeting room in Hotel Atlantico to learn
about the Tourism Industry in Italy from Maria Picardi, a tourism marketing
expert.
Maria’s knowledge and passion for her line
of work was evident throughout her talk with us.
She explained to us that Italy was the 5th
country in the world for tourism, and 3rd in international arrivals,
and that the twenty different regions in Italy are like twenty separate
countries. Italian hotels are moving from a traditional style to more of a
unique bed and breakfast style that are cheaper and more cosmopolitan. Their
tourism has benefited greatly this year from the Universal Milano Expo, from
May 1st to October 31st, showcasing 140 countries about
their ideas and philosophies of technology sufficient food for everyone with a
nutritional focus. Maria then explained to us that Italy’s website for travel
opportunities was verybello.IT, and Italy’s official tourism website is
italia.IT. In the year 2011, Italy changed their tourism by assigning their
different regions full legislation for their own autonomy in tourism. It is now
up to them independently to find their own funding. Maria believes this is not
efficient. There are separate regional boards, each with their own website for
tourism. Also in 2011, a new city tax was enforced in Italy to be spent on
transportation and heritage sites. This tax is prevalent in hotels, but it is
different per hotel and their standards. This tax the guest has to pay may be
on a separate bill, and may have to be in cash. This tax has even made some
cities too expensive and has begun to defer tourists. It was interesting to
learn how Italy is benefitting and adjusting to their incoming tourists,
hopefully in the future they will be able to gain an even better understanding
of how each region of Italy can make tourism work for them.
Some of the ladies went to this cute little restaurant
around the corner from the hotel and Kelly wrote “it was like a scene from a
movie, Italian wine, pasta, and the setting outside was something I never
experienced anything like in America. It is the norm there to just be able to
sit at a table off the sidewalk and basically in the street. And toward the end
of the meal, a guy with an accordion came out and started playing music. Molto
Belle!”
Another group said they found a cute little restaurant
called la Pastorita. They wrote “We sat al fresco and watched the people
bustling about during their afternoon breaks. Ours was definitely the best seat
in the house as we got to watch the servers prepare all of the desserts.. From
panna cotta to gelato to molten chocolate cakes, that scene was enough to make
our mouths water.”
Back to the hotel we travelled to meet up with Lisa,
the director of European programs for SAI. Lisa took us onto the subway for the
first time (an experience that was both familiar and completely foreign).
Melinda wrote “The best part about Italian subways is
that there are only two lines, which leads to a lot less confusion and need to
switch trains. From the train we boarded a streetcar, which was mind boggling.
It was hard for me to picture a city as ancient and urban as Rome with
streetcars.”
We arrived at Parco della Musica, a
magnificent auditorium for concerts, festivals, and music events. It was a
beautiful space, multiple dome like theatres with thousands of seats, wooden
ceilings, and an open amphitheatre. Our tour guide showed us all of the
different rooms and described to us all of the different possibilities for
events and how many people they could accommodate.
Taylor M. wrote “My favorite part of the
visit to the site was getting to hear performers practice singing opera as we
walked between the two halls. I just wanted to sit and listen for hours!”
Afterwards, we all came together in a class
room a learned a lot about how Parco della Musica is marketed, an average
ticket price, and how they work with their budget every year when booking
multiple events. It was truly an inspirational space, known for bringing people
together from all over the world to celebrate music and the arts.
However, the timing of this lecture was
less than ideal. The effects of jet lag
were in full force and it was difficult to keep from dozing off during the
lecture. This was totally understandable just unfortunate. Some of the funny
comments are below.
“This is where things get interesting. This
presentation ended up begin over an hour and was the first time we had all sat
down and relaxed since we arrived in Rome. This ended with most of us falling
asleep or continuously nodding off throughout the entire presentation. I was in
the back of the room and you could tell those who had given in to the sleep and
though who fought it due to the fact that they kept jerking awake. I was in the
group that fought the sleep but in end lost the battle until I jerked awake so
badly half the girls saw me. This may seem like a poor reflection on the
presentation but I believe what it came down to was that we were all feeling
the jet leg and the tour guide did not know her audience which led to a dragged
out presentation. In the end we all
survived and made it out, hopefully without offending the guide to much.
Someone else wrote “We then went
downstairs and filed into a classroom for an extensive lecture on the
financials of the place, which after a long hot day in the sun was the perfect
recipe for a nap. It was hard to fight off sleep during those two and a half
hours if I’m being completely honest, although our guide was very knowledgeable
(just a bit monotone).”
Later we all went out and explored Via del
Corso, a shopping and dining center in Rome.
We headed back on the streetcar to la Piazza della Popola where we
stayed to explore and search for the Pantheon. 
Victoria wrote “Now I don’t mean to brag
but I have a pretty good sense of direction but the streets in Rome are like a
code you need cipher decode to find your final destination. Now I am not
complaining getting lost in Rome is what makes the experience more memorable in
my opinion. However doing it with thirteen girls makes this more difficult but
as always we found our way, making it all worth it.
The Piazza itself is a huge open area
where street performers and men selling selfie-sticks are abundant. We ended up
visiting the Piazza della Popola multiple times during our stay in Rome, but
every time we saw the same elderly couple sitting by the fountain, singing and
playing the accordion. It was such a cute picture and just very endearing. As
for the Pantheon, we walked and walked and then walked some more. We passed
various high end shops, a building that looked like it was a foreign embassy,
and a really cool old bookstore that was so full, and books seemed to be
busting out from every opening of the building. After asking directions at a
tourist info stand, we found the Pantheon. It is an amazing sight to turn a
corner and BAM it feels like you’re thrown back into ancient times. The
Pantheon inside and out, is a beautiful structure that is so peaceful. One step
inside (and away from the men selling cheap camera tripods) and it really takes
you back to an ancient time. 
All of the buildings and historic
structures in Rome are breathtaking; everything has so much meaning behind it,
right down to the cobblestones!
For dinner, we ate at La Barrique, one of
the restaurants that Luke Palladino recommended for us, also one that has been
mentioned in the New York Times! This was a small farm to table restaurant
located around the Cavour stop. For us this was in walking distance which was
beyond amazing. While looking for the restaurant at one point we turned around
and saw the Coliseum.
Victoria wrote “This was amazing to me
because the people of the city take it for granted when I have learned about
this historical structure throughout my education. I never once thought I would
be walking around the streets of Rome and just casually see this buildings as
if it were a just like a library.”
We started out or meal with zucchini pie
and fresh buffalo mozzarella on a bed of arugula.
Almost all restaurants in Italy are small,
so we split into four groups to sit at different tables. Italians tend to eat
much later then Americans, thus the later restaurants we ate at in large groups
we arrived early enough to get tables pushed together. 
Jennie wrote “I stoked myself up to try
sweetbreads, and much to my disappointment they ran out. I settled for the beef
tartar, which was equally delicious as everything else we ordered that night.”
Some of our menu items that evening
included zucchini pie and fresh buffalo
mozzarella on a bed of arugula perfectly
tender pork chop with fried potato slices and a sweet mustard, paired with a
2013 Poggio al Ginperi, lemon ravioli, meatballs, grilled octopus with
chickpeas and sesame seeds and incredibly authentic and fresh tiramisu!
Victoria wrote “This dinner I sat with
Jennie, Magen, and Morgan. This gave me a chance to get to know other students
than the six I had originally went knowing.
We shared wine and talked about
ourselves and our lives back home and
our shared joy with being on this once in a life time trip.
Beth wrote “Another unforgettable meal.”
