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[arielsadventuresinromablog]

June 6-June 11 Jewish Ghetto, wine tasting, capitolline museum, colloseum, roman forum, pallatine hill, Galleria Borghese, Villa Borghese Gardens, Bioparco Rome and weekend in Venezia!

It has been a crazy week here in Italia! I haven’t been able to keep up with my blog as I would have liked to but I thought I would say a little something about my week. This week I jam packed alot into my days. My classes are monday thru thursday so every morning I have planned trips to go on by myself. It has been really nice and relaxing for me to do things on my own and then during the weekends I go on bigger trips with groups of people. I’m really happy that my plan has been working out. As for my accessibility survey, I have been taking notes on the accessible train/bus routes as well as the accessibility of touristy places I go to. After going to Venice this weekend, I have realized how much that Rome is lacking in the department of accessibility. Yes, there are some elevators and some ramps in Rome, but Venice goes out of their way to assist these individuals and they have signs everywhere. Temple Rome for instance is not an adequate place for a person in a power wheelchair. Yes, now that there are rooms in the basement, a student could have classes down there, but none of the bathrooms are accessible and none of the doors are handicap accessible. There are no ramps to the front door and no elevator. There are stairs and cobblestones everywhere making it very difficult for people in wheelchairs to get around. The whole campus of Temple Rome would need to be fixed to allow for an elevator or ramp, but the problem is that Temple does not own the whole building and doesn’t make sense for them to make those sorts of changes without a large number of students with disabilities interested. This year, they had one student with a visual impairment who I have seen on many occasions have difficulty opening the door to the campus because it is gated and he has to pin in a code. He doesn’t have an aid with him and seems to have alot of diffiiculty so on occasions I would help him go grocery shopping. Here in Rome the pedestrian crossing is very difficult for people with disabilities. Very few of the streets have crossing lights and far too few of them lack the sound needed to have along with the timer and light for people who are blind. They also do not make it clear for when you can go.  For one good thing, the Colosseum and the Galleria Borghese has an elevator. Also,the capitolline museum has an elevator. Not all the street corners have ramps either making it difficult. In Rome I have also seen very few people with disabilities in general. I have seen a few adults with autism and maybe four with down syndrome. I have seen a few tourists in wheelchairs but mostly just in the touristy areas like in Pompeii and Rome

. June 6- I went to Mondo Arancina for pomodoro and mozzarella on foccaccio with greens which I didn’t really like but after I ate that I went to the wine tasting which was alot of fun and I had a chance to try a bunch of different wines. I got to taste a wine that smelled like cat piss and it tasted pretty bad too. I realled liked the presecco and the red wine though.

 June 7- I went to La Rustichella which is right next to the residence. I had fiori di zucca(pumpkin fowers) on pizza but I didn’t really like the pizza or the pumpkin flowers. But, before I ate there I had my italian class and my food class which was really cool. We got to try bread with this anchovies juice that i didn’t like but still we got to eat in class. That morning, I also got to see the colosseum, the roman forum, and the palatine hill. It was a really spectacular experience getting to see these three monuments close up. I was also really impressed by how accesible the colloseum was because they had an elevator that they created actually in the colloseum that can take people up to the top. 

June 8- I went to a zoo in Rome which had the most beautiful monkeys that I absolutely fell in love with. there were also elephants, camels, tigers, reptiles, birds, hippotamuses, and so much more. It was incredible. I also went to the Galleria Borghese art museum and got to see some spectacular works of art. There was also an elevator in there making it really easy for anyone to get around. The Villa borghese park is also just so beautiful in general and I can’t wait to go back to take a bike ride. During my food class, we got to go to an apertivo(happy hour) where you can buy a drink and then get a bunch of free food with the purchase of your drink. It was amazing. They gave us tramezzino, sprimp on bread, mixed nuts and sweet nuts. I really liked the sweet nuts. I went to one of the dell’unita mercata(open air markets) in the prati area and got the best fresh fruit there. After my class ended, I hung around the fountain and went back to the room. Then , I went back out later and I got lasagna at napoli 2 which wasn’t that great. It seemed like a tourist trap to me but yet it had good tripadvisor reviews. I decided to go to Dolce Maniera, aka my heaven, afterwards and I got pizza, ciambella, and cannolis there. They have pizza there that is incredible. It is really fluffy like a cake and it is good cold or warm.

June 9- I had no class today which was awesome. So I decided to go to the capitolline museum since all my friends were telling me about it. It was really cool and it was so big. After the museum, I walked around the Jewish ghetto and i got rigatoni with bacon, fried pumpkin flower, and a piece of watermelon for dessert at the giggetto hostaria dal 1923. It was definitely one of the best meals I had so far it was sooo good. Later that day, I got millennium flavored gelato at millennium which kinda tasted like a mix of different chocolate and hazelnut. But, still my cheesecake gelato is number one! Around 6 I got on a train to venice with my friend taylor. The train took about 4 and half hours to get there which was fun because I got a change to talk to taylor more and relax. I also got to call my mom which I really needed to. When we arrived in Venice, we took a water bus across the water and it was awesome. I couldn’t believe that it was like a septa bus on the water. so many people were jam packed in this little bus. It was around 1230 in the morning when we arrived at the air bnb but we found it and we slept great that night after an exhausting night. 

June 10- We explored Venezia all day and hit all the touristy spots. We had a great lunch at the Teamo Wine Bar and then ate dinner at this place called al porte storico which was good. I got scallops which were expensive since they only gave me three but they were so good. The view from the top of the bell tower was incredible and the view inside the church at San Marco was beautiful. I really enjoyed the board of cheese and meats at the Teamo wine bar and the spritz there was good too with the olive inside. I also liked that our airbnb host gave us croissants with peach inside because they were so good. I also got gelato in Venice which I think its safe to say that their gelato is better than the gelato in rome. I got stracciatela flavored gelato with a coffee macaroon on top which was lovely. I love macaroons! 

June 11- I went to Lido beach today and got a great tan. It was so nice and of course I got more gelato because gelato is my favorite thing here. The crepes I had today were incredible as well. The crepe place i think was called cociatella. It was so cool we got to watch him make the crepes. Thus, so far the food in Venezia has been my favorite so far. But, Im happy to be back in Roma tonight so that I can get my fluffy pizza at the 24 hour bakery!!

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Day 9, 10,11, 12 in Italia- Naples, Pimonte, Amalfi Coast , Pompeii, Vesuvius and more!

It has been an exciting weekend in Italia for me. On thursday night, I arrived in Napoli with my 9 other roomies for the weekend. 6 guys and 4 girls sharing one house for the weekend was an interesting experience for me. Especailly since I have been living at home all my life and had never experienced living with other guys besides my brother and my dad. I gotta say we had a pretty good system this weekend and our view from our airbnb in Pimonte was incredible. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than the experience I had this weekend. On friday, I got to go on a motorcycle/scooter ride with an italian man, had an italian man cook for me, then got pizza in napoli. On saturday, I got to go on an 8 hour boat tour of Amalfi coast complete with unlimited wine and beer and lunch and snacks included. We also were able to snorkel in the mediteranean sea which was incredible. We also got to check out two of the beaches at amalfi and positano and sorrento. The sights were incredible. It was such a tiring day as we struggled to figure out our transportation back home. After several busses and trains we made it back where we all cooked dinner together and all had a job to do by making the pasta, setting the table or washing dishes. We were  nice cohesive group of friends and it was really nice. I gotta tell you im surprised there wasn’t that much drama. We were all very relaxed. They made spagetti and lots of it and I had some leftover pizza as well. Day 10- We went to Pompeii and Vesuvius which was fun. Our train back to roma termini was 45 min late though but it was okay because i got to check out the napoli station and people watch. It was interesting for me to see just how many people smoke in italy despite the fact that the pictures on the cigarette packages are so disturbing.When I returned to Roma, I was craving gelato and so i decided to check out millenia and I got the cheescake gelato and all of as sudden I was in heaven I gotta tell you that is by far my favorite gelato so far!  Day 11: Back to classes for week 2. Im feeling good at my italian class I got a 90 on the first quiz which is really good for a start especially since languages do not come easily to me. Also today I got to go to a restaurant in the jewish ghetto called nonna betta where I had fried artichokes which was a very intersting experience. I needed to eat them for a class and write a journal about it and I thought it was great. Then I went exploring and eventually ended up in circus maximus where I got lost of course and ended up on the wrong train. Oops! Thank god I know enough italian to ask directions to people on the bus who showed me where the train i needed to get on was located. Italians are such nice people and despite the amount of italian that you know they try to help you which I really appreciate. People who know me know that in situations like this I normally freak out and yes I was for a second but then I realized that there are plenty of people around to help me. It made me feel really good about myself that I could find my way back to temple rome for the tiramisu extravaganza. Yes I was 25 minutes late but I was still able to get there and help make the tiramisu which made me really happy. What I have learned through my journey so far is that every mistake you make can be fixed and is indeed a learning experience. There will be situations you will be in whether it be with your friends, your roommates, your classes, etc  that bother you but you work through it and most of all you learn from it in the end. I feel myself becoming a more independent person through this journey and feel as if I am becoming more culturally aware person who is excited about my next few weeks in roma! currently planning venice and verona for the weekend is pretty exciting! not sure what I am doing tomorrow . I m thinking of going to movies but I will make sure to post what I do on here! Buone notte!

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Accessibility notes

What amazes me now is that now that I am in napoli, you can tell the obvious differences in the accessiblity of rome vs the rest of italy. In Rome, not everything is accessbile. For most of the train stations there are only a few accessible stops. I barely see any elevators and when I do they are very small and can barely fit more than one person on them and could not fit someone with a wheelchair. Here in naples I have seen ramps and elevators, escalators. 

Back in Rome I rarely saw fully accessible areas. In the vatican, there are accessible routes for people to take but it is different than the route that everyone else can take which takes away from the experience they can have. There is nothing in braille either. There are no flashing lights or anything. 

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Roma Day 6, 7, and 8

Been a little lazy with my blog for the past few days. I have had so much fun stuff to do and not enough down time to write these blogs. But I want to keep you all updated on what I am doing. On tuesday, I had my anthropology class and italian class. It was the first day of my anthropology class, so I did not know what to expect but it is really interesting and unlike any class I have ever taken before since its all about FOOD and who doesn’t love food. My assignment for the week is to eat a traditional roman speciality with artichokes before artichokes go out of season. Since I am in amalfi for the weekend, I will have to wait to complete my assignment on sunday when I return to Roma. On tuesday, I went to the pantheon and the trevi which was really cool and then I ate a prosicutto and mozzarela panino(sandwich) and got peach gelato at gelato fatamorgana which was really good. ON wednesday, I went to the sistene chapel and vatican museums for early entry and breakfast. I was the first one in line and I was very proud of myself for waking up early and finding the vatican on my own. I gotta say though They gave me a buffet breakfast and a tour of the museum and the sistene chapel which sadly I could not take a picture of, but it was still a really great experience and  learned alot and was able to send some postcards home . Then, that night I went to the opera with my friend Sarah and it was really impressive. I would definitely recommend it. We saw the opera at a church near the piazza navona and took pictures at the fountain of the four rivers. After the opera, we met up with some other frends and we went to panino romanesco and I ate a white ragu with ratatouille panini(ragu biano con patate o cicoria o melazane griglitate) . It was on my list for the best things I have had to eat thus far. On thursday, I slept in and had the experience of trying to catch my bus for class, but of course I missed it and had to run to class to be able to take my quiz for Italian I. It went well but learning languages has always been hard for me so I had some difficulty with it. After my classes were over, I walked back to campus and packed my suitcase for my weekend in amalfi and then went to catch my high speed train to naples. the high speed train gave me some serious harry potter vibes as well as some major ringing in my ears. I got into naples at about 10 last night and made it back to our airbnb which is beautiful. When I arrived at the naples train station, I gotta say I felt like I was at home in Philly. We decided to just get food at burger king and I gotta say I think burger king here is better than burger king at home. LOl very interesting tho.Just chilling for a bit this morning doing homework and going to walk around here for a bit. I am in pimonte which is situated more inland and is about 30-45 minutes from naples and amalfi and pompeii which makes transportation there difficult but it is so quiet and nice here I can’t complain. Our boat tour is tomorrow and vesuvius and pompeii is on sunday so I psyched!! 

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

I am not much of a wine drinker but after my excursion in Todi I think I am for real. I had un bicchiere di vino rosso(red wine) and un bicchiere di vino bianco (white wine) and vino e buona(good). I had some very large glasses which was awesome. 

Roma Day 4 and 5

I have had such a blast these past two days, which is one of the reasons why I have not been able to post everyday like I have wanted to. Yesterday we went had a full day excursion to Umbria to visit the medieval hill town of Todi, followed by a traditional lunch at the Titignano castle! It was amazing and the wine was to die for. And don’t worry all my friends at home I bought a bottle and I am bringing it home with me. Yay! Sad thing was that my new camera battery died just when the day was starting but thankfully I had my iphone to take some lovely photos with. The food was delicious but portions were small. Best of all was the unlimited wine!! OMG What a way to kick off the beginning of our summer semester in Roma! It started off with a bang indeed and I am so excited to see what the rest of these 6 weeks has in store for me! I often have a hard time meeting new people and opening up to people I have never met, especially people I have a grown a bias towards like those students involved in greek life. But, surprisingly they are some of the nicest people I have met here and so welcoming of me to hang out with them. I have met a few cool italian people such as our amazing student life director Gianni, who is hands down the funniest and sweetest person I have ever met in all my years at Temple. He is so helpful and he makes every experience a blast at Temple Roma! Today was my first class from 1-3 which was Italian language I. Nice small class and an excellent teacher. The class will be very intensive which should be expected from a 6 week course. I will have the class Monday-Thursday from 1-3. But, I already know alot of my classmates so that makes the experience a whole lot easier. They are all very helpful and there are so many advisors here to talk to whenever I am feeling homesick or unsure about how to say something in Italian. I am simply amazed by the experience I am having here and I have plenty of stories to tell when I get home and can not wait to share all of them. Yesterday I got to try venison(deer) and lamb and it was disgusting as I expected.  The food that was the best yesterday was the rice and tiramisu, which made me a little sad. But, the views from yesterday were gorgeous and the friendships that I am continuing to make are nice as well! Today I got to view the sunset at the Piazza del Papolo with a group of girls that I barely knew but I hope they will become some of my closest friends over the course of this trip. The sunset was beautiful and we ate a restaurant that was a “touristy type” of restaurant but the food was actually really good and was serving the best pizza I had eaten so far in my trip. I asked our waiter for his recommendation and he gave me a pizza with egg, salami, ham, olives, and something else I can’t quite remember. Then we ended our night with a walk back to the residence and some cioccolato gelato which was good. I find it so interesting that when i get gelato in a cone i spill it all over myself, but when the italian do it their gelato doesn’t melt at all for them or spill.  Is it an american thing?  I’ll be honest the food I have had in Roma has not met my expectations but hopefuly when I go to Naples this weekend, the food there will surpass my expectations. Roma is a very difficult city to get around by car. What you will notice is that you are better off walking to places than taking the bus most times. I have mostly just walked around here because the weather is just so beautiful all the time and there is very little pollution or litter anywhere. I am walking more in Roma than I every have at home and it feels so good to just walk around and explore and not have to drive at all !  Interesting observation: very few cars here have scratches or dents or anything which is surprising since they all drive so recklessly. Most people here in Roma know English and are happy to serve us and help us with our Italian. I just bought tickets for the Opera on Wednesday at the Piazza Navona so I am psyched for that. Amalfi coast, pompeii, and naples this weekend im excited for.too  I also signed up for calchetto, wine tasting, tiramisu, and cooking classes! Yay so much to look forward to ! I am signing off for now but stay tuned for more later on here or my facebook page. Buona Notte

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Roma Day 4 and 5

I have had such a blast these past two days, which is one of the reasons why I have not been able to post everyday like I have wanted to. Yesterday we went had a full day excursion to Umbria to visit the medieval hill town of Todi, followed by a traditional lunch at the Titignano castle! It was amazing and the wine was to die for. And don’t worry all my friends at home I bought a bottle and I am bringing it home with me. Yay! Sad thing was that my new camera battery died just when the day was starting but thankfully I had my iphone to take some lovely photos with. The food was delicious but portions were small. Best of all was the unlimited wine!! OMG What a way to kick off the beginning of our summer semester in Roma! It started off with a bang indeed and I am so excited to see what the rest of these 6 weeks has in store for me! I often have a hard time meeting new people and opening up to people I have never met, especially people I have a grown a bias towards like those students involved in greek life. But, surprisingly they are some of the nicest people I have met here and so welcoming of me to hang out with them. I have met a few cool italian people such as our amazing student life director Gianni, who is hands down the funniest and sweetest person I have ever met in all my years at Temple. He is so helpful and he makes every experience a blast at Temple Roma! Today was my first class from 1-3 which was Italian language I. Nice small class and an excellent teacher. The class will be very intensive which should be expected from a 6 week course. I will have the class Monday-Thursday from 1-3. But, I already know alot of my classmates so that makes the experience a whole lot easier. They are all very helpful and there are so many advisors here to talk to whenever I am feeling homesick or unsure about how to say something in Italian. I am simply amazed by the experience I am having here and I have plenty of stories to tell when I get home and can not wait to share all of them. Yesterday I got to try venison(deer) and lamb and it was disgusting as I expected.  The food that was the best yesterday was the rice and tiramisu, which made me a little sad. But, the views from yesterday were gorgeous and the friendships that I am continuing to make are nice as well! Today I got to view the sunset at the Piazza del Papolo with a group of girls that I barely knew but I hope they will become some of my closest friends over the course of this trip. The sunset was beautiful and we ate a restaurant that was a “touristy type” of restaurant but the food was actually really good and was serving the best pizza I had eaten so far in my trip. I asked our waiter for his recommendation and he gave me a pizza with egg, salami, ham, olives, and something else I can’t quite remember. Then we ended our night with a walk back to the residence and some cioccolato gelato which was good. I find it so interesting that when i get gelato in a cone i spill it all over myself, but when the italian do it their gelato doesn’t melt at all for them or spill.  Is it an american thing?  I’ll be honest the food I have had in Roma has not met my expectations but hopefuly when I go to Naples this weekend, the food there will surpass my expectations. Roma is a very difficult city to get around by car. What you will notice is that you are better off walking to places than taking the bus most times. I have mostly just walked around here because the weather is just so beautiful all the time and there is very little pollution or litter anywhere. I am walking more in Roma than I every have at home and it feels so good to just walk around and explore and not have to drive at all !  Interesting observation: very few cars here have scratches or dents or anything which is surprising since they all drive so recklessly. Most people here in Roma know English and are happy to serve us and help us with our Italian. I just bought tickets for the Opera on Wednesday at the Piazza Navona so I am psyched for that. Amalfi coast, pompeii, and naples this weekend im excited for.too  I also signed up for calchetto, wine tasting, tiramisu, and cooking classes! Yay so much to look forward to ! I am signing off for now but stay tuned for more later on here or my facebook page. Buona Notte

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Roma 2 and 3 - Accessibility notes

Roma is not a very accessible city but today I did see a few people in wheelchairs. From people watching I saw had difficult it can be for them to navigate around cobblestone streets. I'm hoping that one of these days I can interview one person to see what their experience has been Like. There is no ramp for the Trevi fountain or ramp for the Spanish steps. The elevators are very small and there are very little ramps anywhere. The steps at time were even hard for me to walk up. Very few busses are accessible and Metro barely has any accessible routes for people with disabilities making Roma a very difficult place to get around by public transportation. 

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Roma Day 2 and 3! Spanish steps and Trevi fountain

What can I say about you Roma! You are everything and more! There  is so much life in this city and my journey has only just begun! Been struggling a bit with the culture shock and language barrier but day by day it gets easier. I'm learning how the trains and buses work and to watch out for gypsies and pickpocketers. It is amazing to me how many people are in this beautiful city and how everyone is so nice and welcoming. The trains here in Rome are nothing like Septa. the system here is so organized and trains are actually on time! The weather here is lovely and I'm very happy with my residence. at the moment I have nothing to complain about. I am literally in awe of this city. Yesterday I spent the day exploring and attending the orientation at Temple Roma! Temple Rome is a beautiful small campus right on the Tiber River. I also went grocery shopping yesterday and felt like I did okay speaking in Italian to purchase what I needed there. .I look forward to the classes I will be taking there. Starting Monday I will be taking Italian Language  I and an anthropology class on Italian food and culture. Yesterday, I was able to see the Spanish Steps, eat spaghetti, drink limoncello, eat fish and chips, and eat graffa(donuts) I also got to have a cappuccino and cornetto for colazione(breakfast)! Today I had the chance to see the Trevi Fountain, drink Spritz, eat cannolis, learn some Italian and some tips from Gianni, one of the amazing coordinators at temple Rome! I had lasagna for dinner and I had pizza earlier for lunch. I also got to eat mango and strawberry gelato which was incredible. I also had the chance to see the MTV awards in Roma which was really cool since it was at the Piazza del Papolo! I woke up late today so I skipped colazione. just ended my night with some Rose and remembered I wanted to post something. I need to wake up early in the morning so I'm signing off for now but hopefully will add more later. Miss all of you at home and I will be sending postcards shortly!! Buona notte

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

Roma Day 1- I want to be a part of this world

What a day it has been! All I can say is that I am in love with Italy. I’m ready to sleep in my bed which just happens to be in our kitchen area and is right next to the bathroom. Very convenient don’t you think? I can do it all! I am really happy that I have six really awesome roommates, the best room, and the best view from our window. I am really excited to get to know over 100 new students, faculty, and staff and forge friendships with them all. I was really nervous at first but after being surrounded by other students who are struggling with the language barrier and culture shock as well, I feel so much more comfortable. Hopefully when I begin my Italian classes on Monday, it will be a little easier. Today was  great day though. I met some awesome people on the plane, one of which happened to be my roommate. We also have great WiFi which doesn’t hurt either. I also got to order caffe gelato at Old Bridge!! Yummy! I got to have free pizza at the pizza party for Temple Rome students! There were many different types of pizza to choose from as well and let me tell you its nothing like the pizza in Philly! You can definitely tell the difference in the cheese! I also got to get started on thinking about my Gilman accessibility project after sitting down with a meeting with the student life coordinator! One thing that I thought about was how hard it would be for a blind person to walk the streets of Rome because of the lack of sound cues provided to signal people to cross the street. I was told that  northern parts of Italy, like Milan,  are much more accessible. At the moment, the bathrooms at the Temple Rome campus are accessible, but there is still no ramp into the main building making it near impossible for a person using a wheelchair to access the building independently. The residence that I am staying at also is not accessible at all to people in wheelchairs. The elevator can barely hold one person and I’m not kidding.  I started to feel claustrophobic just by being on it for a few seconds with my luggage. The stairs are so beautifully created all throughout Roma, its a shame they can’t do the same with their elevators. The cobblestone streets would be another major nightmare for someone using a wheelchair. I myself have a difficult navigating myself and luggage over cobblestones. Interesting unrelated side note. I also found out that in Italy they do not have special education classes. If I child needs accommodations, they may be given a personal care assistant to help them throughout the day but that's it. Fun Fact: Homeschooling is illegal in Italy. All children ages 6-16 must go to public school. Another thing It is amazing to me how different it is here than in Philly! But one thing that isn’t different is the really terrible driving and lack of using turning signals!! The individual will not be named but he was going over 140 km an hour, well over the speed limit! The culture, the food, the history, the architecture, the landscape it all just draws me in. But, I can’t help but feel that my anxiety at times gets the best at times as I encounter the idea that I am a minority in this world. At times I feel I act the wrong way and that I am not dressed appropriately.  i do not speak their language (yet) and I know it will be a challenging 6 weeks and I look forward to continuing my challenge in Roma because I really want to be a part of their world!

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

The Adventure Begins!!

[arielsadventuresinromablog]

The Day Before My Journey Begins

It has been a crazy day! I am overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and anxiety. As I continue to make my way through my mental checklist of the things I need to bring with me, I think of all of the people I can not bring with me. You guys know who you are and know that I will miss you all immensely. But, I will be back in six weeks and I am just a text or call away if you need me. I still can’t believe I will be leaving tomorrow! I know that this experience is a once in a lifetime experience and I am so happy that Temple has given me this opportunity.