Writing Assignment 9: Rome is like a bottle of wine...

Rome is like a bottle of very good, very expensive white wine. It must be swirled, sniffed, and sipped slowly in order to be fully enjoyed. Rome and I did not fall in love at first sight –though like most visitors to Rome, I did fall in lust at first sight. I wanted to be a part of Rome before I even knew what Rome was. Few people spend enough time in Rome to see beyond its outward appearance. In order to truly discover Rome’s personality, one must rid oneself of all expectations and pre-existing notion. It was only when I stopped looking and started living that I first fell in love with Rome.

The day it happened was absolutely beautiful. I was running back along the Tiber River towards Campo de Fiori. However, instead of focusing on my music and breathing, I found my eyes wandering and witnessing a million different events in every direction. Rome was incredibly alive. There were couples sitting along the River gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. There were men dressed in suits holding briefcases and walking determinedly. There were darker skinned men selling sunglasses and there were tourists trying to avoid them. There were also men walking dogs, teenagers talking into cell phones, and a woman waiting at the bus stop.


It wasn’t just the people that caught my eyes but the architecture also looked alive. The river and the buildings/scenery that flank it looked incredible for reasons they never had before. The beauty had nothing to do with history or with the fact that millions of people and professionals deemed it to be so. It was the kind of beautiful that would be observed by a young child with no knowledge of architecture, art, or history. It was beautiful because it just was.

Where else in the world are buildings created with so much regard to pure aesthetics?
Where else is beauty valued over economics and practicality?
Where else are beautiful things created so that people can simply enjoy looking at them?

For the first time in my entire life, I found value in pure beauty. I found inspiration, calm, and meaning in simply looking at something. Whereas once I would have been angry at government money spent uneconomically when so many citizens are without basic necessities, I was not. Sometimes it is more valuable for a thousand people to experience inner peace and calm than for one hundred to receive one hundred loaves of bread. Although expensive, impractical, and tourist-magnets, the architecture in Rome might be worth it. A walk around Rome in the beautiful sunlight is illuminating, gratifying, eye-opening, and thought-inspiring. It is food for the soul.

This realization left me in awe. I continued to run but I felt as though I were flying. I ran past Campo de Fiori, unable to end my adventure just yet. Soon, Castel Sant’Angelo came into view. This was always my favorite monument in Rome, although I have never been able to explain why. I felt compelled to stop my run and take a seat. Rome does that. It compels to you to slow down, take a seat, and look around. At this moment, hundreds of regrets for not having done or felt this sooner entered my mind. How could I have missed this beautiful aspect of Rome all this time? How could I never have felt thus inspired before?


I took a seat along the top of the Tiber and leaned my back on the hot stone. Down and to my right was a man kayaking gracefully across the Tiber. I never would have thought to step foot in the Tiber –I treated it more like a monument than a part of nature. It seemed as forbidden and untouchable as much of Rome. But the kayaker didn’t have any such reservations. He, like many true Romans, was treating Rome like his backyard. I loved it. He didn’t care that he was the only person in the entire river and he was oblivious to all the onlookers gazing at him. He was also incredibly graceful –almost as graceful as the seagulls that surrounded him. One of them in particular caught my eye. She was removed from the rest and soon took flight. She landed on one of Bernini’s Angels in the most natural way possible. She was not worried about being yelled at my guards or scuffing up the sculpture –she was using it how she pleased. Once she was on the statue, it seemed that she had always been meant to be there. It was a strange thought. I hoped that she would never move.

Ahead and to my left was the castle itself. Breathtaking. Especially with the sunlight pouring down on top of it. Nothing could ruin my good mood –not even the American tourists that asked me to take a picture of them. They had confused me for a Roman. This actually uplifted my mood even further and it was an occurrence that happened more and more during my last month in Rome.

The language (at times) seemed to flow from my mouth. I have always loved Italian –it is the most melodic, sensual language I have ever heard. I always wished I could speak it. However, even if I had not already been passionate about the language, I would still have worked hard to learn it. I believe it is impossible to have an authentic experience without knowing the language of the country you are in. It is through understanding, observing, and communicating with natives that one begins to understand culture.

Soon after I fell in love with Rome, I fell in love with Romans. If this had not happened, I would not have been half as sad to leave. But it did. As strange and unlikely as it sounds, I made real, true Italian friends. I made friends that I trust and care for and that I will keep in touch with while I am away. With them to guide me, I experienced a Rome that many have not. I had to put myself out there, speak the language, and overcome their pre-conceived notions of all tourists in order to do it –but I succeeded. The reward was well worth it. I saw Rome as a Roman for the first time. I went to the sea at 3am and ran in the sand. I drove a manual car along the coast and realized how much of a danger I would be as a driver in Rome. I ate dinner and went out for drinks like most Romans do –for free or discounted prices. I went dancing at clubs outside of the centro storico. I kissed cheek to cheek. I was introduced to more friends and I was considered part of the gang.

I loved it and I am very thankful to them for their warm welcome. I will truly miss the friends I made in Rome. Relationships are such an incredibly important part of life. They are attachments I will have to Rome no matter what. In the future, they will be reminders of a life that I lived for ten weeks.

Here is my advice for those who truly want to experience Roman culture:
1. Love the language. Embrace it. Speak it. Work hard because hearing yourself ask for a glass of white wine and water in perfect Italian is worth it.
2. Listen. Do not always walk around with your IPOD. Instead, listen to the sounds of the river, traffic, conversations, markets, dogs, etc. The more perceptive you are, the more you will learn.
3. Try. Try everything! Italy is a place where almost anything is possible and where most things are got because they were asked for. Ask for an extra piece of bread, or free entry into a club –those who learn to work the system, profit. Ask also for advice on where to go to dinner or where to find whatever you need. Italians live their life as if they have all the time in the world and they love to offer their opinions. Be confident and be forward. Make friends and have faith. They will surprise you.
4. Have a short memory for negative events. Of course Rome is full of people that want to scam tourists. You will most likely be ripped off for a couple meals and various other things, especially at the beginning of your trip. Take it with a grain of salt, learn from your mistake, and don’t do it again.
5. Make a to-do list and add to it as you go. For example, jumping in a fountain (500 euro fine if you get caught), clubbing in Testaccio, dinner at Trattoria Moderna, take a walk every day, get a ride on a motor scooter, try as many different gelato places as you can, stay out long enough to watch the sunrise on your way home, watch the sunset from castel sant’angelo or the wedding cake, run along the Tiber, talk to a stranger every day, cook something new every week, dress up for simple occasions, indulge in nutella –and more!
6. Make friends!!!! It is so hard to do this and it could take months but do not give up. True friends are true friends no matter what nationality they are and what language they speak. Friends make everything better. They will show you a different side of Rome and you will not regret the effort. When the time is right and when you are ready, they will find you.
7. Be perceptive. Be so perceptive that my advice is useless. Create your own opinions based on your own experiences, beliefs, and observations.

Rome is like a bottle of very expensive, very exquisite white wine. Sip it slowly because as the bottle begins to empty, you will enjoy it more and more and when it is over, you will miss the taste. And then all you can do is buy another bottle or throw a coin into the Trevi and ensure your return trip to Rome!