When in Rome
Solo time exploring the Eternal City
Wassup, Traipser! Dakota here with Traipsing About, my AI-free newsletter exploring living an intentional life while reclaiming creativity as an adult. I spice things up with travel experiences, pictures and daily drawings.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your time and attention in this tornado-at-your-front-door world.
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Ciao from Italy! I’m over here for a month with a variety of exploits planned. Thanks to a generous friend who works as a flight attendant, I flew to Rome on free standby passes. While the anticipation of “will I get a seat” was strange, everything worked exactly as planned.
In case you missed it: Last time I considered the question “whose opinion are you living for?”
Whose opinion are you living for?
Rather than trying to appease everyone (foolish, impossible) you select the life you want to live and focus your attention on a smaller group of people whose love and support you deeply desire.
So much history
I’ll get this not-original observation out of the way: holy CRAP is the history in Rome deep.
Walking out of the antique instrument museum, I sat in front of a big ol’ church to eat a snack. What’s that big building? Oh, that was built in 220 AD by an emperor with a very Latin name. Biking along the Tiber River, there’s the island that is allegedly the founding place of Rome roughly forever years ago. No big deal.
To me, Rome’s magic lies in the contrast of old and new, layered, seething, pouring forth from tight alleys and bars and clubs, electronic music reverberating off walls 1,000 years old. Apple iPhone ads on churches, bus stops in front of 1,800-year-old city walls. History, discarded in a way, accommodated but progress moving forward.
There were water fountains always gushing, piles of scooters parked in a line (I pondered whether they would topple like dominoes), plus moss on the ancient cobblestones and gelato on every corner.
Everywhere I walked or biked, I stumbled upon history smashed up against modern life. And while I’ve witnessed this during my other trips to Europe, Rome turned my amazement up to 11.
A different angle of Italy
I’ve visited Italy one time before on a bike tour, but this was the first time since being recognized as an Italian citizen, getting a passport, and learning the language. Wow, did it change the experience in a positive way.
Mostly, my goal during this month is to just soak up the Italian vibe. To listen to how people talk, wander around, and speak in the native language as much as possible. Rome was no different.
Everywhere I went, I struck up conversations. Coffee bars, music performances, restaurants, parks. (I’m a menace.) The Romans have a soft accent, whereas I learned more national Italian with a sharp C, so tuning my ear took a bit (and continues!)
People adjusted in the same way I can understand a Southern U.S. accent. Pointing out that my accent is terrible helped to disarm people. We’d laugh and launch into various conversations.
I’ve talked about the normal stuff like where I’m from and my plans, but also about specific interests. Whether that’s at a coffee shop, intermission at a music performance, or working out with guys at an outdoor fitness area, I’ve dived in. Pointed questions about our president, plus long conversations about working remotely, the problems facing young people in Italy, and what it’s like to live here as an immigrant.
Did I screw up conjugations, words, adjective agreements? Yes. Will I continue to? Ohhh sure. I’m sure I sound strange, but as multiple people told me, “ti capisco bene.” (I understand you well.)
Taking it all in
The contrast of Rome compared to the wide-open natural spaces I’ve traveled in the past five months was wild. From Airstream life in the remote American west to the center of a bustling, noisy, dirty, rowdy city built on top of centuries of history!
Rather than scheduling myself silly, I opted to explore the city with a few linchpins based on my interest in music. My first night, I rode the bus up to a performance in the north of the city. The Musical Academy is from 1595; deep history, everywhere. Another night, I listened to Chopin played in a church. Wandering down to the Antique Instrument Museum generated its own adventures.
Another change this trip is traveling with a sketchbook. I loved just sitting and drawing in Rome. Whether on a bench, at a cafe or restaurant, or overlooking a vista, sketching the city in many different places was a real joy. It helps me slow down and see things in a way that I didn’t on past trips, even when I was taking lots of photographs. The slower the composition, the more I see.
A benefit of big cities: incredible food. I told Chelsea if I came back the same weight, it would mean I didn’t do Italy right! The plant-based restaurant options were extraordinary, so it’s a good thing I walked over 10 miles each day.
Just a quick dip
My stop in Rome felt like I barely skimmed away the cappuccino froth. In a place where you could spend a decade studying doorknockers and another studying church frescoes, in no way did I try to do everything or check off a specific list.
Sure, I saw the Colosseum in a bike-by, but I didn’t brave the crowds at the Vatican or elbow my way into the Pantheon. Maybe someday?
Meanwhile, I’ve got other plans for the remaining month in Italy.
Onward,
Dakota
meraviglioso!
Sounds like you're doing it right! I think one key to Rome is the "big" tourist attractions are SOOOOOO CROWDED (so go EARLY), but if you got just a bit off the beaten path, the crowds are much much much much smaller, and they're almost, if not more, impressive. Enjoy!
(Consider Villa d'Este on the outskirts of town. There are three villas in the area, and that was our favorite.)