Rome, Italy

So I spent a few days in Rome, NBD. Just kidding, it was a huge deal. Summer 2017 I went on the ultimate girl’s trip with my mother + sister. I was expecting all of my Lizzy McGuire dreams to come true, and some did, but I ultimately left Italy without a pop star twin. There are three things I want to experience when I go on a new adventure: the food, the atmosphere, and something new. Let’s start with my all-time favorite thing in the world, cuisine. 

Italian food: 

The moon hit my eye like a big pizza pie, not even joking. I went full food tourist mode; I was carb city — spaghetti, lasagna, bread, tiramisu yeah all of that. I was about that life. The Italians believe cheese is the answer and it doesn’t matter what the question is. There was a gelato shop near the Trevi Fountain, and I pretty much galloped inside and pointed out the scoops I wanted like a child. My life has never been the same since that gelato... 

The atmosphere: 

For the most part, Italy is pretty chill. Nothing really out of the ordinary in Rome where we were. I mean sure, there were a few crazy people, but that’s everywhere you go. Everyone just seemed to have a plan of their day, and they were following through. The atmosphere wasn’t heightened or dull; everyone just seemed mellow. Of course, the scenery is gorgeous! The Colosseum + the Pantheon could take someone’s breath away, so I’m incredibly grateful I was able to see it with my own two eyes, I might have even cried a little. There is a lot of rich history with the Roman culture, so I quickly learned the best way to experience everything was an extremely basic hop on/hop off bus tour. Some people think it’s cheesy, but I think it’s the absolute best way to learn about all the hotspots. You soak up so much with those tours I thoroughly enjoyed it. 10/10 would recommend.  

What I learned: 

I cannot speak for the entire European culture, I did not travel around enough to really know, but in Rome, there was a strong urge for togetherness. Late one night my sister and I just walked around exploring the city. We settled down in this cute little outside café for a second dinner (my sister and I are both about that carb life). We noticed a group next to us around 12–15 people savoring every moment together, so we decided to do the same. We sat and talked about everything + nothing all at the same time. We stayed for over two hours; once we paid and got ready to leave we noticed the family looked like they were just getting started with their evening! We had no clue how long they were sitting there before we even showed up. They stayed for so long in each other’s company it almost seemed ridiculous to my fast-paced American brain. I learned it’s ok just to sit + be with the people you love even if nothing is going on; take your time and savor every moment, it could be your chance to be together. For that, I’m grateful for the entire Italian experience.