Today was our second day in Rome, and it included gelato, the Colosseum, and surprise rainstorms.
We woke up early this morning for a free breakfast at our hostel, and then took a short walk around the neighborhood. We took pictures in alleyways and enjoyed the scenery.
When we returned, our group walked to the American University of Rome to hear a lecture Andrea Bini, who gave us an overview of Italian media through the years.
He explained that Italian media has always had close ties to politics. Since the beginnings, newspapers were run by politicians, or those connected with them, in order to avoid bad press. Many journalists and broadcasters are related to or friends with people in positions of power. It is difficult to become a reporter. More and more media outlets are laying off reporters and editors and buying content off of young freelance videographers instead. Most journalists also don’t have a college degree.
After that, we took a crowded bus to the Colosseum. It was taller than I pictured it, and most of us agreed that it seemed unreal that we were finally seeing it. Shortly after we arrived it began to rain, and almost all of us were unprepared. We took a guided tour and learned that the Colosseum used to have a covered dome, which would have been nice on a rainy day like today.
We then went on to the Roman Forum, which is a collection of ancient and modern structures. Our tour guide explained that this was the center of Rome, and was the reason for the expression “all roads lead to Rome.” We saw ancient temples and arches dedicated to rulers who protected Christianity. We also saw the rock that Julius Caesar was cremated on. One of the ancient temples was for women who were like nuns. They took a vow of chastity and devoted their lives to performing ceremonies and taking care of the temple. Our tour guide explained that the entire area used to be completely covered in marble. There were beautiful flowers everywhere.
The white building in the back is the most modern, and was built to celebrate the first king of a united Italy.
After, we went back to the hotel and looked for dinner. Matteo recommended a pizza place to us, and we decided to try it out. He recommended an appetizer called suppli al telefono, which was a ball of fried rice with mozzarella in the middle. It was delicious. I ordered a pizza with zucchini on top. It was large but very, very thin. It wasn’t sliced, and everyone around us ate it with a knife and fork. We tried it at first, but eventually got too hungry and cut it into triangle pieces and ate it with our hands. (We didn’t get to have lunch today, give us a break.) After a debate on whether or not we tip our server, we gave him a couple euros and went on our way to a gelato shop.
It was a small green shop, and a group of loud New Yorkers occupied it. Two TVs silently played nature documentaries, and Italian rap music was quietly playing. I ordered a small cup of hazelnut gelato and it was delicious. It was the perfect end to the day.