Day 1: Arrival to the Eternal City

Today was an AMAZING first day in Rome!! We began by landing from our eight hour flight to meet our tour guide, and basically new best friend, Michele, who will lead us through Rome - the eternal city. 

The streets of Rome! 

We took a half hour bus ride to the hotel, in which I learned our bus driver Mark Antony - who had the best music on aux - was in the movie Conclave as a bus driver! Keep an eye out for him when you watch it again! 

the entrance of our hotel

We reached our beautiful hotel, Hotel Navona, dropped off our luggage, and off into Rome we went! We went to the subway, and surfaced at the Cincetta neighborhood, where Michele works at a cinema organizing themed premieres. 

JJ in Rome 

This cinema specifically was connected to a church that was part of the Catholic Church, and because of this connection, the theater can offer cheap and affordable tickets to the community! Not only this, but the cinema is connected to a school, and an orotorio, which is essentially a field-esque space where the youth can play. This part of Rome, and many like it, bring communities together. Young, old, students, civilians - this center brings together the worlds of cinema, culture, education, religion, and recreation! 

The theater focuses on showing independent and less-distributed films to give a chance to those who are new to the industry.  

People give back to the theater, too, by donating old cameras and memorabilia.

We watched a highly awarded short film that portrayed how dangerous and traumatizing immigration to Italy truly can be. It used animation to create a harrowing and striking experience for viewers that leaves them with a better understanding of an experience that they might’ve not encountered before. 

“The park of aqueducts”

We then went to the “park of the aqueducts,” where we were stunned by aqueducts built centuries before our time, yet still stood proudly before us. While we took a photo, a boisterous silly dog named Joy graced us with her clumsy exuberant presence - a warm welcome to our first day in this holy city. 

We made our way to lunch, where a delicious espresso hit at the perfect time as the jet lag began to take hold. With our stomachs full and our minds ready to learn, we headed to our hotel. 

Something else to note is that today is International Women’s Day, and many men we have interacted with, servers or otherwise, have taken time to note it. I wonder why it seems more outwardly and verbally celebrated here than in Newport? 

After we ate, we headed back to the hotel to check into our rooms and enjoy some much needed down time! After about an hour of resting, we headed back out into the city to explore the sights around the hotel! 

First we went to Piazza Navona, complete with the four rivers fountain by Bernini (my favorite sculptor—more on him tomorrow!) and the Church of St. Agnes. We walked to the Trevi Fountain, and after getting lost in the crowds we found a spot to take pictures! 

Trevi Fountain 

We then walked over to the Pantheon, with a quick pit stop to see Mason’s favorite statue, an elephant done by Bernini. Inside the Pantheon we admired the saints and took a brief rest before heading off to dinner. 

The Pantheon

At Er Faciolaro restaurant, we got pasta and pizza and had our first dinner together! Much better than the plane food!! After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got the first real sleep we all have had in two days! See you tomorrow! 

Georgia’s Gnocchi for dinner 

Con Affetto, 

JJ and Georgia