We got ready and headed up three minutes up the street, and sat through the next few hours regarding our living and academics, as well as meeting all of the staff. They were all really cool, and most had had experiences studying abroad as well. Since they were all Italian, their English wasn't always perfect, and I noticed that depending on where they learned their English, that is how it was accented. The director of the program, Anna, had studied in the United States and her English was perfect. I initially thought she was American until I realized her usage of certain words. Chiara, the academic coordinator who initially earned her English in Ireland,told us that when she studied abroad in England she had called home crying because the accent was so different she couldn't understand anything.
For lunch, they took us to the Villa Torlonia, Mussolini's former summer home. The home was now a huge, spacious restaurant with ceilings dozens of feet high. It was all stone and airy, and there were a few long tables set up in the middle. We all took our seats and were immediately given water. However, the water was seltzer, and I can't say I really liked that too much. The waiters also brought over pitchers of Coke. The best part, however, was that we were all brought over glasses of Prosecco, and Italian sparkling wine similar to champagne, and the CEA staff seated in the middle of the room stood up and gave a toast, saying "Ce ce ce ce," at least I think that's how you spell it (pronounced "chi"). I though "Cheers" was "Salut", but apparently this was a more common way to do it.
As if that wasn't enough, the meal was brought out. Pizza again, though I don't think I'll ever get sick of pizza in this city. There was slices just mozzarella and what seemed to be zucchini, and then slices with tomato sauce and mozzarella, though the tomato sauce was literally pure tomato. Then they brought out dessert, various thick slices of cake. One slice was so thick it was almost fudgy, and it was dark and bitter. Soooo good. The other one was lemony and light, and the other crumbly filled with chocolate and kind of lemony.
As we walked back, I realized I don't think I'd ever been so satisfied with a meal in a long time. There was so much food, yet you ate so little knowing you wanted to try everything. I was perfectly full and not overstuffed at all.
We arrived and a member of the police in Florence had come to talk to us regarding safety in Rome. He had a few interesting things to say, and he was very blunt.
1.) Rome has no areas to "avoid".
2.) As American women, we would simply have to get used to the touching of our hair, grabbing of our hands, and inappropriate things said by Italian men. This was not sexual harassment in Italy, and he advised us to act as the Italian women did; to simply pull away and ignore it. Saying anything would cause a reaction.
3.) There were five reported incidences of rape in Florence last year. Five were American women studying abroad who were drunk and walking home alone.
4.) Pickpocketers were everywhere downtown in historical Rome, and you just had to be smart. Gypsies were known for holding newborns in your face while you couldn't see what their hands were doing beneath the baby (namely, stealing your wallet).
5.) Little kids were also sneaky, and when walking around the tourist sites, we were told to avoid groups of little boys without an adult with them.
6.) The small streets in the center of downtown Rome are prime for stealing women's purses. There are commonly no sidewalks down there, so you are forced to walk in the middle of the street. If your purse is slung over your shoulder, motorcycles can come by and snatch them, and if the strap doesn't break, you can get dragged with the motorcycle. As a preventative measure, all you had to do was wear your purse on the shoulder next to the buildings, not the road.
Tonight, we're planning on walking down to the center of Rome to eat and have fun!
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