In January of 2019, I moved to Rome for 4 months, where I studied abroad at John Cabot University. I was torn between studying abroad in a few countries and here are some of the reasons I chose Rome:
1.The food
I was debating writing an article on just all the amazing foods that you can find in Rome. But, I’ll just leave you with my top four foods. The first is the gelato. It would honestly be a disgrace for me to not put gelato first, but everywhere in Rome, you can find cute little stands that sell 1 Euro Gelato. I love strawberry and stracciatella and my favorite places. After months of experimenting, the best gelato in Rome is Gelateria del Viale and Frigidarium. Caico e Pepe, a pizza with parmesan cheese and black pepper is a traditional Roman food and delicious. My favorite dessert of all time and something I ordered at least 4x a week was tiramisu. My all-time favorite meal in Rome, if I could only have one meal in Rome, it would be tony’s penne alle vodka. My favorite restaurant is La Tavernetta 29 da Tony e Andrea.
2. All the history
It’s hard to keep it in perspective, but my walk to the shops including the place where Julius Ceasar was murdered. Rome has over 900 churches and thousands of years of history. Every block has a story.
3. Once in a lifetime experiences
One of the most magical experiences I had in Rome was the ability to go to Easter Mass with Pope Francis at the Vatican. I got tickets, waited in line at 6 am and was able to experience the magic of being blessed by the pope.
4. Perfect place spot for weekend trips
Rome is in a perfect location to go on weekend trips. There are many weekend trips around Italy: Amalfi, Florence, Venice, Naples, Cinque Terre, and Sicily, to name a few. Most European destinations are a one or two-hour flight away. I was lucky to visit Budapest, Sofia, Malta, Greece, Germany, and many more. I was also able to visit Morocco.
5. The views
I’ll leave you with some of the most amazing views I’ve seen in my life.
I had the best time abroad and there’s nowhere else I wish had gone. I made friends and memories that last a lifetime.