One Coin in the Fountain...

After two days in Rome, we’re on our way to Venice. My first impression of Rome started long before I arrived in Italy, of course this was because every movie I’ve ever seen that’s set or said to be set in some part of Italy. The Coliseum, the  Vatican and the Trevi Fountain just to name a few were something I had only seen before on a movie screen, so I packed these impressions with me in my 27lbs luggage to Italy. While we’re safe in Venezia (Venice) tonight, we spent the last two days getting to know the Eternal City- Roma- a little better.

The culture here is very different than what I’ve been exposed to as an American. Most of the Italians we’ve come in contact with are very good at speaking a little bit of English, presumably to understand tourists, and are able to make sense of what we’re trying to say. Verbally there is a communication barrier that is very interesting to observe, especially after taking Beginning Italian for two semester. I find, much to my surprise that I’ve been able to read menus, understand bits and phrases of conversations that pass by, and of course, what may be most important, order the food I’d like to eat. For instance, I ordered un prosciutto e mozzarella panino and felt a sense of major accomplishment when the Italian man behind the counter asked “Italiano?” and proudly I could say si. This first very subtle attempt at communication may not seem as impressive as it actually feels when biting into my panino. And, because of this, I confidentially knew when the time came to place another order, regardless of the time of day, I was more than ready.

Our time in Rome was filled with so many sights and a great deal of excitements. One of the sites that seemed to really connect with me- I was nearly jumping up and down when I saw it for the first time- was the Trevi Fountain, which we visited last night. The Trevi Fountain is on nearly every tourist’s list of sights to see when in Rome, while at the fountain you’re supposed to throw a coin in, over your shoulder. If you do, they say you’ll return again to Rome. With this promise in mind, I found myself overly excited to throw my coin in the fountain. I wanted to be sure that I would get the toss just right so I did a few practice tries without actually letting go of my coin. When I finally found a good spot, I turned my back to the fountain and tossed my coin in with great excitement with the hopes that one day, my wish would come true.

The area surrounding the Trevi Fountain is known as Piazza di Trevi, which was filled with so many people when we were there last night. I stepped back a few times to just take in the view of the crowd and the fountain in amazement that it was so much bigger and grander than I had expected. Of course, this was not the first time I’ve seen the Trevi Fountain, as I’ve seen it in a hand full of movies where a character goes to the fountain with a coin to toss with the hopes that their wish will come true, and of course they usually do. At this time, I can’t say whether or not my wish came true just yet… but if I should return to Rome, I’ll credit it partially to the Trevi Fountain, and definitely make another visit to the fountain of Trevi.

Mid-air throwing my coin into the Fountain.

After the excitement at the Trevi Fountain, we had dinner at which I was able to order my first dish of pasta- Spaghetti pomodoro e bascilia, spaghetti with a tomato sauce. This dish looked very much like the one Julia Robert’s character in Eat, Pray, Love indulges in while she’s in Rome. It was absolutely amazing and it felt extremely authentic swirling my fork around into little circles. For dessert, we stopped at a small gelateria where I had my first taste of genuine gelato italiano, and I ordered straticcella e caffe, chocolate chip and coffee, which surpassed all my expectations and was the perfect way to end my evening in Roma. It was the perfect way to end the night, a simple thing that made us feel like we were living “la dolce vita!”

We’re off to explore Venice! Hasta luego!

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