I really couldn’t believe how difficult it would be to digest every moment living here in Rome. There are truly no words that can describe the beauty, the brilliance, the depth of every word, every breath, every smell, every bite! There is so little that can help me express the insane beauty of this city alone, not to mention the rest of it I have yet to explore. I am almost to tears with the overwhelming perfection in Rome’s little imperfections. If life were water I feel like I am drowning in it and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I am writing so fluidly now when actually I have been muddling over my already 500 accumulated photos for hours in the past few days. I thought this “photo blog” would begin with choosing the photos that I thought were best to express my experience, but it seems to be the total opposite. I find that the moments of flooding emotions and thoughts, the best thing to do instead of taking more photos is to take a moment and breathe… The past couple of days I did not take one photo, and truly I don’t think I will be able to find that photo that can express my feelings.

I think I will continue this blog as a way to show my favorite moments, but these photos won’t do it justice. They’re more the “I have to remember this moment” photos.

First night I had to go out. I was restless and ready to explore the city. After a tour of the neighborhood by the resident graduates, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The iridescent night was crystal with rain. Cobble stones glistening like a starlit sky in a romantic movie scene. I live in Trastevere, a historical jewel of Rome. Close to the center but not too close to all the tourists. Walking in 40 degree weather and a chilly light rain, I was enchanted. At that moment, I knew I wasn’t in Miami anymore.

(First 3 photos I was using my unbreakable Lumix and quality is quite poor)

I love this photo because my poor little Lumix actually took this wicked photo of the bartender’s mixology show. This is called the Harry Potter shot. We had a choice between cinnamon and tabasco, I chose cinnamon.

Ahhh the cafés… Almost every morning I’ve been here, I get a chance to drink my 1 euro cappuccino and delight myself in a new pastry. Pictured above is a nocciola cornetto (no, it’s not a croissant because it isn’t French). Normally, I cannot drink any form of caffeine, yet the coffee here doesn’t have that affect on me. The taste is indescribable, never too strong and with a new sweet message every morning.

Pictured above is my school, American University of Rome. One thing I’ve strongly noticed living here is that everything matches. It is as if they have a Ministry of Exterior Design whom have strictly selected the color palette, architectural elements, and exact height and width of buildings. Nothing stands alone, it all looks so beautiful with Tuscan reds and warm yellows. The stone looks aged and stoic,
the buildings covered in vines and plants. My eyes are so at ease here.

I live with 5 other girls and my roommate pictured here is modeling for me. This fountain sits graciously in the park, Villa Sciarra literally 10 meters across from the school. The amazing thing is that to find treasures like these anywhere in Miami is nearly impossible, but here they’re everywhere. These historic parks are treasured and thrive in all corners of the city. Every turn I take, every moment I look, I see frames filled perfectly to their very corners!
The city is filled with free flowing fountains that look similar to this. You can drink directly from it and it is absolutely the freshest water I have ever drank from a public water fountain. The feeling isn’t like drinking from a water bottle or swimming in the beautiful Atlantic. It is something of clarity, peace. The feeling of freedom to drink water from beautiful art pieces. The fountains, the sound of rain, the Tiber river coursing through the city. Water is everywhere and planned in such a gracious way.The second day in Rome, I tried the best gelato! I made newfound love with pistachio and dark chocolate. The pistachio flavor wasn’t just an idea of pistachio, it was as if they had transformed the nut into the cold, creamy form. The dark chocolate tasted like I was eating a chocolate bar. If I didn’t know better and tasted the world for the first time and tasted gelato first, I would think the pistachio and dark chocolate originated from that and not a cacao bean or the pistachio tree.

Ohhh and then there is the pizza…. The food here breaks my heart and causes me to forget the world around me. Pictured above is my second time having my favorite pizza with prosciutto, mozzarella, and rosemary. As my friends and I were walking with these delightful 2 euro snacks in hand, about 2 blocks away I stopped and realized, “shit i’m missing something.” I had completely forgotten my folder full of important documents on the counter of the pizza place. I ran back and fortunately it was still there. I guess at the moment, the pizza was too distracting and more important. My friends still poke fun at how easily food can distract me. There are no words that can express the sensations that go through me when enjoying that pizza. It is like experiencing life for the first time. When I am here I feel like a baby tasting, seeing, walking, and feeling for the first time. It is amazing.
That night I cooked dinner for the first time with my roommate. We explored the Dem Supermercati and found fresh packaged tortelli a prosciutto for so cheap that I couldn’t believe it. The fruits and veggies are unbelievably more cheap here. With the pasta was mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini tossed together in a pesto sauce. I’m not complimenting myself, but this pasta was crack. So amazing and addicting. I continued to cook about 2-3 more versions of this in the past few days because it is so easy and the freshness of the ingredients speak for itself!

The last amazing moments to be left with is the architectural feats in every corner of the city. I will be writing about these beautiful sites separately, but the one thing I have to explain is the feeling of turning a corner and being completely SMACKED in the face with an architectural magnificence. This night photo captures literally the moment my jaw dropped and where I stopped in my tracks. We were just wandering and next thing we know we turn the corner to find this enormous structure, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel a.k.a. “Cake Topper” (The nickname by Italians because of its obnoxious design overseeing other historical architectures). I thought I’ve seen most of the major monuments and there are still beautiful sites at every unsuspecting corner.

So sorry for all the delay on updates. Thank you so much for reading just a few of my impressions of Rome! More to come soon!