All roads lead to Rome...

Well, I'm in Roma!  My first five days here have been amazing, but we've been really busy with orientation stuff, so I'm ready for classes to start today so that I can get back into a normal routine.  The weather here has been beautiful, unseasonably warm for January, so I'm hoping it will stay this way, though it'll probably rain in the near future because it generally rains a lot here in January and February.  Loyola's campus in Rome, the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) is located northwest of the city center on top of a hill called Monte Mario.  There are a few connected buildings that make a U-shape around a charming little courtyard that has orange fruit trees in it.  My roommate Ashlee and I have a tiny balcony connected to our room, which looks out over the courtyard, so we definitely lucked out as far as the view is concerned!  The food here has been delicious of course. We have lunch and dinner at the mensa (cafeteria) on campus, which serves traditional Italian food.  I've also been out to two nice Italian restaurants for orientation events, where amazing Italian food was just brought out to us course by course.  Let's hope I don't get tired of Italian food anytime soon!   

My friends and I haven't wasted any time in terms of exploring the city.
Things I've seen so far in Rome:
1. The Trevi Fountain
2. The Spanish Steps
3. The Colosseum
4. The Roman Forum
5. The Pantheon
6. The Tiber River
7. A bunch of Piazzas, Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo being the most well-known I think

Random things I've observed about Rome so far:
1. There are palm trees here...that was unexpected!
2. Everyone has a dog (or so it seems)
3. The notorious reputation of Italian drivers is absolutely true (generally speaking)
4. It is legal to have open containers of alcohol in public, though it'll still feel illegal until I get used to it

Yesterday, as part of orientation, there was a group day trip to Orvieto, a city about an hour and a half away from Rome.  It's a little city built on top of a cliff made of volcanic rock.  Orvieto was so charming, exactly what you would expect from how Italy is portrayed in movies and stuff.  Cobblestone streets and narrow alleys around every corner, brightly colored buildings all connected, clothes outside drying on clotheslines high above the streets, it seemed like a very pleasant place to live!  We took a tour of the beautiful Basilica, which is the most famous architectural building in the city.  It was nice to see the Italian countryside as we drove to and from Orvieto, and I'm really glad they planned a trip for us outside of Rome.  Next weekend, we have a three day group trip to the southern cities of Herculaneum, Salerno, Paetrum, and Sorrento, which I'm excited for!

Well, I'm off to class now. I have Italian 102 and Intro to Opera today, so I'll update you all soon on how the first week of classes goes. Thanks for reading!

Ciao,
Allison

                                          View of courtyard from our room

                                          At the Trevi Fountain

                       At the top of the Spanish Steps: Laura, Lexi, me, and Megan

                                          The Colosseum