Roman Flora
When confronted by Monty Python’s age-old question, “what have the Romans ever done for us?” my first response is, “urban flowers.” I am an ignorant flower enthusiast. Whatever ardor I…
Celebrating Naples’ Scudetto
On the night of Thursday, May 4th, Naples’ football club—the S.S.C. Napoli—won its first Serie A title in 33 years. The team was also awarded the highly-coveted Scudetto, one of…
My Road to Pompeii
Over the weekend, my suitemate and I went to see Pompeii. Visiting the site of that ancient tragedy had been on my agenda ever since I landed here in Italy…
The Villas of Tivoli
Last weekend, I traveled with friends to Tivoli to see Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa d’Este. We got to see two examples of the villa: the imperial Rome version, and…
A Weekend in Ischia
From April 29th until May 1st, my friend Ella and I had the opportunity to travel to Ischia, an island off the coast of Naples, through Carleton’s Boyd-Niles Travel Fellowship.…
The Porta Portese Flea Market
Greetings from Rome! In this blog update, I’ll be discussing my numerous visits to the Porta Portese Flea Market. This flea market occurs every Sunday morning, rain or shine including…
Animals of Italy
Looking back at the pictures I’ve taken these past few weeks, I realized that it was filled with the following things: animals, food, saints, and Jesus. Given these statistics, I’ve…
Habits, Coppola Caps, and Berets: Roman Style and Identity
In experiencing Rome for the first time, I had fully prepared myself to embrace the impressive culture of Italian fashion with thorough research. As a place vibrant with people in…
St. Peter’s through the Eyes of a Tourist/Pilgrim
As I have been visiting holy sites in Rome and in the surrounding area, I have been approaching them in three different ways, as a student, as a tourist, and…
The Tastes of Rome
How can you talk about Italian culture without mentioning the cuisine? From the pasta, to the gelato, to the pizza, to the aperitivo, food is an instrumental part of Italian…