Showing posts with label Viale Di Trastevere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Viale Di Trastevere. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere
As I finish up my last 2 days here in Trastevere I find myself wandering the streets more and more just taking it all in. I love being able to interact with the Italians as much as I can. Whether it be something as simple as ordering coffee or something more complicated as telling a waiter that I don't want anchovies on my pizza, it's been a pleasure to have the chance to interact like we have gotten to. I am so tempted before I leave to give a few Euro to the homeless people that I have seen and said hello to everyday for the past seven weeks, but I am not sure whether that is the best idea. More specifically, I feel that the man in front of the pharmacy that I pass everyday may be one the nicest homeless people that I have interacted with in my life. He has nothing but a sleeping bag, cigarettes, and a bottle for water, but he is always smiling. Makes me want to re-evaluate my priorities. We have been eating at the same restaurant pretty much every day now, and the food keeps getting better. Whether is be sausage pizza or cold tomato, eggplant, onion, and cheese salad, it is all good because we are in Rome. I know it sounds very cliche, but when in Rome, do as the Romans. I feel that we have done our best to show Trastevere that we are willing to mold and conform to their standards as much as we have to in order to be accepted as residents of their quiet little suburb.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere
Throughout the summer we've been spending most of our time on Viale di Trastevere. It has become a main road for us to get to class every single day. Today, Thursday June 19th, we decided that instead of cooking for our meals (like we normally do) we would go out to eat. Dom, Brian, Cole, Kevin and myself found a nice little restaurant behind Santa Maria in Trastevere. They had an amazing special for lunch, so we couldn't pass it up. For a mere 10 Euro you got your choice of a drink (Coke, beer, wine, or water), bruchetta, pizza or pasta, and a cappuccino. It was a great meal! Speaking of Trastevere and food, the cafe next to our apartment is now under new ownership. The gentleman that owned it before did not seem to run it well, and it was rarely busy. Now, every time I go in there it is jammed with people all yelling for what they want to eat and drink. The food is just as good as the coffee! They know we're Americans (not sure how...just kidding) so they attempt to talk English to us. They asked us if we were from Texas because we had "Texas accents." We said no and asked why our accents sounded like that of Texas. They just said that they, unlike us, cannot tell the difference in American accents so they just named an accent they knew. It was quite funny. Also, I think it's great that we are in their country and we are trying to speak their language and they are trying to speak ours. It has led to a few mishaps. The most recent mishap we found is that if you order two drinks (one for you and one for a friend) and intend on splitting the bill at the cash register, they do not understand it. If you order them, you pay for them. It wasn't a huge deal as we explained to them that in America that is how it works. They said it was fine and split the mere 2 Euro bill for us. I am looking forward to going home next week, but it is the little things like this that I will miss. Trastevere sure has been good to me and my four roommates this summer!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere
I’ve been spending more and more time on Viale di Trastevere (and Trastevere itself), and for many good reasons. The weather has finally started to break here, and more and more people are coming into the city for the summer (the tourist season). Dom and I explored a new area the other day down by one of the bridges that crosses into Testachio, which is where our graduate assistants are living this summer. We picked up some gelato from the local gellateria and parked ourselves on a bench on the street corner and just watched people. I have noticed that Rome is a great place to people watch, and that Trastevere could be the “people watching capital” of Rome. There are no tourists here. I have heard from everyone (including locals) that the tourists tend to stick on the Rome side of the Tiber River, leaving Trastevere to the Roman natives. Anyways, we found a new favorite place to eat in Trastevere. It’s called Pizza Portese and it is fantastic! They have more than just pizza, they roast chickens, they sell bread, they have all types of lasagna, calzones, and many other items. The owners are great. They know that we’re American (we’ve been frequenting this place a lot lately) so they attempt to speak English as we attempt to speak Italian. In the end it all works out. After we get our pizza we go outside, lean against the wall and enjoy the authentic Roman taste as we watch hoards of Italians go about their daily, hectic lives.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Termini Station To Viale di Trastevere
To get from Termini station in Rome to Viale di Trastevere exit the station and you will find yourself in Piazza Cinquecento. Cut left and go down through the Piazza until you reach Via Cavour. Follow Via Cavour pass the magnificent Santa Maria Maggiore until you reach Viale di Fori Imperiali, which is the main road along the Tiber River. Turn right and follow Viale di Fori Imperiali. As you walk along Viale di Fori Imperiali you will notice such sites as The Colosseum and The Roman Forum, two of Romes greatest sites. Continue down Viale di Fori Imperiali through Piazza Venezia until you reach Via Arenula. Turn left on Via Arenula and cross the bridge. On the opposite site of the road Via Arenula turns into Viale di Trastevere. Welcome to Trastevere!
Trastevere literally means "across the Tiber", as that is where it is located in reference to downtown Rome. This area is full of shops, restaurants, street vendors and caffe after caffe of lovely espresso and cafe latte. Trastevere is said to the part of Rome that is not touched by tourism. By simply walking around through its narrow cobblestoned streets, you can see why so many present day Romans love to call this quaint neighborhood home.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Blue Collared, White Collared..what's the difference?
In class this morning the point was brought up that the locals here in Rome seem to hold more blue collared jobs as compared to white collared, which is different from cities back in the states, at least Pittsburgh. I made the argument that Romans also seem to be much more proud of their jobs than most Americans do.
As I was walking to class this morning, Brand New playing on my i-Pod, I passed the locals vendors selling everything from shoes, to shirts, to knock-off Prada bags along Viale di Trastevere. All of a sudden a man in a white trench coat stained with blood walked in front of me. I was thrown off for a second, until I remember what I was near. A butcher shop. This young man was not ashamed that his job was to cut meat and sell it to those who could afford to pay 25 Euro for a steak. He simply walked out and started shopping, on what I assumed was a break in his slaughtering action. No shame for his blood colored clothing. When he was done, he went back in to his shop and resumed his business as usual, as if this was a normal part of his day.
Fast forward to the cafe where I grabbed espresso this morning, and the restaurant where we ate lunch today. I noticed a trend in both these places. Photographs. The workers of these shops placed photos of family and friends on the counters and walls of these shops, as if it were their own personal cubicle. These were professionally done photographs as well, with the workers of the shops in them!
I know we shouldn't keep comparing Italian culture to American culture, but it's hard not too. I keep thinking that if I walked into Starbucks on College Ave. and saw the Barista hanging a picture of her and her husband on the wall behind the cash register, I would be a little freaked out. But to these people it is normal, and accepted.
Why not show off who you love? Why be afraid to walk in the streets in your dirty work clothes, when this may show others that your job places you in a lower class than them? The lesson here? Be proud of what you're doing, because to you it's completely unique. Don't let anyone else's opinion dictate your actions. And finally, hang up those cheesy family portraits wherever and whenever you please. Why not?
As I was walking to class this morning, Brand New playing on my i-Pod, I passed the locals vendors selling everything from shoes, to shirts, to knock-off Prada bags along Viale di Trastevere. All of a sudden a man in a white trench coat stained with blood walked in front of me. I was thrown off for a second, until I remember what I was near. A butcher shop. This young man was not ashamed that his job was to cut meat and sell it to those who could afford to pay 25 Euro for a steak. He simply walked out and started shopping, on what I assumed was a break in his slaughtering action. No shame for his blood colored clothing. When he was done, he went back in to his shop and resumed his business as usual, as if this was a normal part of his day.
Fast forward to the cafe where I grabbed espresso this morning, and the restaurant where we ate lunch today. I noticed a trend in both these places. Photographs. The workers of these shops placed photos of family and friends on the counters and walls of these shops, as if it were their own personal cubicle. These were professionally done photographs as well, with the workers of the shops in them!
I know we shouldn't keep comparing Italian culture to American culture, but it's hard not too. I keep thinking that if I walked into Starbucks on College Ave. and saw the Barista hanging a picture of her and her husband on the wall behind the cash register, I would be a little freaked out. But to these people it is normal, and accepted.
Why not show off who you love? Why be afraid to walk in the streets in your dirty work clothes, when this may show others that your job places you in a lower class than them? The lesson here? Be proud of what you're doing, because to you it's completely unique. Don't let anyone else's opinion dictate your actions. And finally, hang up those cheesy family portraits wherever and whenever you please. Why not?
"Sensing" Viale di Trastevere
To see, smell, hear, taste, and touch Rome, that is the assignment. I will use Viale Di Trastevere for an example.
The smells of this long street vary, depending on which area you are in. If, for instance, you are standing next to a dumpster then you will, for sure, smell garbage. But that’s common sense. But, travel a mere 50 yards to any café and the aroma of espresso, pastries, and other delights fill your nose, drawing you in to spend you hard earned euro. Smell is such a strong incentive to spend money, and Rome knows this, and they use it to their advantage.
To touch Rome is a little harder. But it can be done. I think of touching Viale Di Trastevere as walking on its streets, which are cobblestone for the most part. It’s such a unique experience to walk on cobblestone most every day for an extended period of time, after living in western Pennsylvania for my entire life. I am clumsy enough as it is, so uneven streets can sometimes be my worst enemy. I usually spend my summers in my backyard in a small western Pennsylvania town, walking on soft, green grass, all the while my three dogs play and roll in the freshly cut grass, as if this was cut for their pure enjoyment.
Seeing Viale Di Trastevere is an experience in itself! I have seen some weird things, but some of the action that happens on this street can have a tendency to blow my mind. Last night I witnessed a homeless gentleman washing “himself” in a fountain. I don’t mean his hands, or his hair. He was washing some very private areas, right in the middle of the street. Also, seeing the very large trams rumble by carrying hundreds of people is an awesome sight, especially going over the bridge that doesn’t look strong enough to hold one tram let alone two!
Going along the same line as seeing, hearing Viale Di Trastevere is most noted by the thunderous trams, and the trickling of water from the various fountains. It goes from one extreme to the other, and everything in between. The occasional sounds of music coming from a pizzeria are also a welcomed sound, as it reminds you that in fact these dark little places are lively and cooking, literally! Another great thing to hear is the Italian language. To me, someone who does not speak great Italian, this language makes me excited. It’s so unique! We’ve all heard of songs like “That’s Amore!” and other Italian songs/phrases, but that was in America. To hear them here is different.
Lastly, there is taste. Taste is my favorite, for obvious reasons. My three favorite tastes of Viale Di Trastevere so far are the pizza, the espresso, and the gelato. The espresso ranks up there among the best tasting coffees I have ever had. It puts Starbucks to shame! I think half the experience is the atmosphere in which you enjoy it, standing at a bar next to other Italians who are enjoying the same simple drink you are. Next comes the pizza, which is nothing like we have at home. It’s “real” pizza. The cheese is melted to perfection and the sauce is sweet and thin, as is the crust. The edges are burnt and it tastes like smoke, just like how every pizza should be. Lastly is the gelato, which makes my hometown ice cream (sorry Youngs!) taste, not so good. It’s smooth and has various chunks of other ingredients, depending on what flavor you get. I told my friend here that when you see it all piled up in the cooler, it seems as if you can just lay down and go to sleep in it. It even looks smooth and soft. Fantastic!
So what does this all mean? When we are here in Rome, we must be able to use our senses a little more wisely than if we were back in the United States. When we are home it’s routine and we don’t need to use them all to make choices, but here we do. So it’s important for us to understand this, and use it to make decisions about our every day lives.
The smells of this long street vary, depending on which area you are in. If, for instance, you are standing next to a dumpster then you will, for sure, smell garbage. But that’s common sense. But, travel a mere 50 yards to any café and the aroma of espresso, pastries, and other delights fill your nose, drawing you in to spend you hard earned euro. Smell is such a strong incentive to spend money, and Rome knows this, and they use it to their advantage.
To touch Rome is a little harder. But it can be done. I think of touching Viale Di Trastevere as walking on its streets, which are cobblestone for the most part. It’s such a unique experience to walk on cobblestone most every day for an extended period of time, after living in western Pennsylvania for my entire life. I am clumsy enough as it is, so uneven streets can sometimes be my worst enemy. I usually spend my summers in my backyard in a small western Pennsylvania town, walking on soft, green grass, all the while my three dogs play and roll in the freshly cut grass, as if this was cut for their pure enjoyment.
Seeing Viale Di Trastevere is an experience in itself! I have seen some weird things, but some of the action that happens on this street can have a tendency to blow my mind. Last night I witnessed a homeless gentleman washing “himself” in a fountain. I don’t mean his hands, or his hair. He was washing some very private areas, right in the middle of the street. Also, seeing the very large trams rumble by carrying hundreds of people is an awesome sight, especially going over the bridge that doesn’t look strong enough to hold one tram let alone two!
Going along the same line as seeing, hearing Viale Di Trastevere is most noted by the thunderous trams, and the trickling of water from the various fountains. It goes from one extreme to the other, and everything in between. The occasional sounds of music coming from a pizzeria are also a welcomed sound, as it reminds you that in fact these dark little places are lively and cooking, literally! Another great thing to hear is the Italian language. To me, someone who does not speak great Italian, this language makes me excited. It’s so unique! We’ve all heard of songs like “That’s Amore!” and other Italian songs/phrases, but that was in America. To hear them here is different.
Lastly, there is taste. Taste is my favorite, for obvious reasons. My three favorite tastes of Viale Di Trastevere so far are the pizza, the espresso, and the gelato. The espresso ranks up there among the best tasting coffees I have ever had. It puts Starbucks to shame! I think half the experience is the atmosphere in which you enjoy it, standing at a bar next to other Italians who are enjoying the same simple drink you are. Next comes the pizza, which is nothing like we have at home. It’s “real” pizza. The cheese is melted to perfection and the sauce is sweet and thin, as is the crust. The edges are burnt and it tastes like smoke, just like how every pizza should be. Lastly is the gelato, which makes my hometown ice cream (sorry Youngs!) taste, not so good. It’s smooth and has various chunks of other ingredients, depending on what flavor you get. I told my friend here that when you see it all piled up in the cooler, it seems as if you can just lay down and go to sleep in it. It even looks smooth and soft. Fantastic!
So what does this all mean? When we are here in Rome, we must be able to use our senses a little more wisely than if we were back in the United States. When we are home it’s routine and we don’t need to use them all to make choices, but here we do. So it’s important for us to understand this, and use it to make decisions about our every day lives.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere-May 26, 2008
So last night after our dinner I ventured into Trastevere, but this time I went down the end of town that I had not visited before. It was a split second decision to go for a walk, and I walked out without my camera (this is at least the 5th time I have done this), so next time I will take pictures of this area. For those of you who do not know, Trastevere literally means "Across the Tiber", which is the famous river that runs through downtown Rome. The area is quaint, and is less touristy than other areas. Our apartment is situated in the section of Trastevere that is about 1/2 mile from the end of the Trastevere limits.
Anyways, the area I found last night is beautiful. The tram tracks are tree lined (unlike the other parts of the city), the buildings are newer, and the roads are wider. It reminded me of parts of Pittsburgh, such as Mt. Washington. There is also restaurant after restaurant after restaurant! So much food to try, and so little time to try it!
I'm beginning to find little shortcuts around town as well, saving me a few minutes when trying to get from point A to B. This is also a great time to find the little restaurants, shops, and markets that so commonly line the back, unknown streets of Rome.
Anyways, the area I found last night is beautiful. The tram tracks are tree lined (unlike the other parts of the city), the buildings are newer, and the roads are wider. It reminded me of parts of Pittsburgh, such as Mt. Washington. There is also restaurant after restaurant after restaurant! So much food to try, and so little time to try it!
I'm beginning to find little shortcuts around town as well, saving me a few minutes when trying to get from point A to B. This is also a great time to find the little restaurants, shops, and markets that so commonly line the back, unknown streets of Rome.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
AS Roma!
Last night as Cole and I were walking back from the girls apartment (they have an internet connection) we witnessed the mayhem that followed AS Roma's (Rome's soccer team)win in the Italian Cup 2-1 over Inter Milan. The streets exploded with action as the AS Roma fans, scarves and all, lit fireworks, sang their fight song, and were just plain rowdy. Horns blared long into the night, even on our usually quiet little street, so sleep was hard to come by last night. Check out the full story (in English) .http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhere.
When we woke up this morning, the streets were back to normal and Rome continued its Sunday tradition of relaxation. As if nothing had happened the night before.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere and The Gianicolo Hill
As I walking down Viale Di Trastevere this afternoon I passed the Standa Supermarket, which we frequent a decent amount seeing as how close it is to our apartment. Anyways, every time that I pass this supermarket, and I mean every single time, I see the same homeless man. He actually seems quite nice. Every time I pass him I give a nice smile and surprisingly he smiles back, unlike the other Italians I have smiled at. Directly across the street is a small little park (maybe 4-5 benches) and there is another group of homeless people (men and women) who do not smile and seem very disinterested in my passing by. Interesting enough though, Viale Di Trastevere seems to be the hot spot for homeless people. Of course there are homeless people in other places, but more of them seem to live on Viale Di Trastevere than any other place. As I was walking by the homeless man in front of Standa today, he was lighting pieces of paper on fire and watching them burn, smiling the entire time!
On a side note, I've been doing a little bit more exploring down our end of Viale Di Trastevere and noticed that a decent amount of the fountains are not working, for some reason. The one that I really wanted to see is called Acqua Paola and it's located on top of The Gianicolo Hill (which gives some great views of the city), but it was dry when we went up the other day. As far as I could tell from reading on-line, it was working as of recently but now seems dry. They had a problem with its water source a while back but authorities said it was fixed. When it is fixed, though, I will make sure to take pictures. It's a pretty interesting looking fountain.
*Check out this map of all the Roman fountains*
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Slideshow
Here's a little video (with some music, so check the volume) of some pictures from the past week, here in Rome. Enjoy!
PS. Sorry about the low quality, it was just the quickest to upload on this internet.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday May 20th Evening Walk
Tonight I decided to walk up the hill behind our apartment, in hopes of finding some new and interesting stuff. I can safely say that I succeeded in doing so. There are some really cool indoor markets as well as a permanent outdoor style market that, I assume, sells the same sort of things that the other outdoor markets (ex: Campo Di Fiori) sell. I also found a park that afforded me a rather nice view of the city from on top of the hill (I'm guessing one of 7 hills in the city). I thought that I was rather far away from our apartment, but within an hour or so I was back down on the main street in Trastevere and only about 5 blocks from where I had started.
I was a bit shocked, but I'm guessing I just took a huge oval shaped walk. It was worth it though. Once I was back down on Viale Di Trastevere I found two smaller photo shops. I decided to compare some prices of their cameras as compared to some of our shops back home. As I guessed the prices were a tad bit higher and I am guessing that this is thanks to 2 different reasons: 1.) we are in a city and 2.) the dollar is not fairing well against the euro. None the less, this was a smaller shop and mostly sold point and shoot cameras,and no D-SLRs or higher end equipment. The second shop I stopped in (which I noted earlier that I would stop in) was actually a photo studio, so I'm guessing that galeria in Italian does not mean the same thing as it does back home. Anyways, this photographer was great! He had a wide array of wedding photos, graduation style photos, family photos, and kid photos. His work rivaled that of any photographer I've seen back home in Zelie (Yes, I know there's not many!). I was tempted to ask the photographer about his cameras and techniques, but he was busily working at his computer on what I assume would be an editing program, so I left him be. It was great to see such splendid photography work over here! After I left there I decided that I should try and find yet another market/restaurant on Viale Di Trastevere, and I succeeded once again. I was attempting to take photos of the establishment, but they spoke no english and I wasnt sure how they would feel about me taking photos of their business. This bakery/market/restaurant had prices that rivaled that of Standa (the main market) and a wider selection of breads, which are fantastic by the way! The desserts looked great as well. I'm sure I'll be back down there at some point. I am attempting to take another walk tonight, so I will fill you in on more gems of Viale Di Trastevere tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Bingo!
Monday night Jared, Dom, Brian and myself decided to go play bingo at the parlor down on Viale Di Trastevere. Jared had went down earlier in the day and won a decently large (137,00 euro) amount of money, so we went again to try out luck. We sat at a table with two women who spoke no english at all, they even asked us how to say "yes" in english. It was pretty amazing. I had never played bingo before (in a real bingo parlor), so starting off in an Italian one was probably not the best idea. They called the numbers out at a rate I didn't think was possible. We just happened to find this place last week while walking down Viale Di Trastevere, so with nothing to really do last night what better idea than to play bingo and spend a few euro! I hadn't really thought of Rome as a place with gambling, but after walking in this place and a few others along Viale Di Trastevere, I am seeing more and more slot machines. I have pretty good luck back in the states, but I don't wanna push it here. I think I am going to venture even farther down Viale Di Trastevere tomorrow and see what other gems I can find! On the bright side, I can now count to 90 in Italian! Ciao!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere
First Saturday night in Rome, which obviously means that it gets crowded. It kind of reminds me of State College on a football weekend, just add a lot more people! I say this because it's an influx of people into a specific area for a specific reason, in this case tourism. Anyways, I had to make the trek down to the classroom tonight to fix a scheduling issue for the second summer session, which I did (no worries mom and dad). As I was walking, Viale de Trastevere was bustling! Suddenly, it seemed like more street vendors decided to open up for the weekend. Everywhere I walked, something was being cooked and the whole road smelled fantastic! I did notice something that bothered me from day one, and still did tonight. I keep catching the locals staring at me and I don't mean a simple glance. I am talking that they look at me as we approach, then they turn their head as I pass and give that last little glance to make sure I know they are watching. Of course, after I noticed this the first time I started looking back to see how often it happens. This has led to a few unfortunate "eye-meetings" and a very sincere "grazie" from me. I guess that's what you get when they know that you are an American. Also, this comes along with the territory that we are in. Trastevere is, as a few guidebooks point out, the non-tourist part of Rome. This makes it all the more interesting for Brian, Dom, Cole, Jared and myself. We are living among the locals, and we couldn't be happier!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Viale Di Trastevere
The main street in Trastevere (Viale Di Trastevere) is a very busy place. Considering that my apartment is about 1 block away from this main road, I decided that spending some time this summer looking at exactly how this road is used for modern day Romans. I'm not just talking about driving, thats a whole different story. The road is used as a social space for, what seems to be, most Romans. Lining this street are various bars, pubs, restaurants, shops and markets. The most popular places on this street seem to be the bars (coffee bars). They are literally lining this road, with 3-5 every block for the whole 2-3 mile long road. It's truly amazing. They bars don't just stop there, they spill out into the street were the Romans seem to gather on sunny mornings and cool evenings. The sounds of the tram that runs along the road only adds to the uniqueness of this space. Also, it is a main artery into the heart of downtown Rome. The road consists of 3 lanes. The 2 outside lanes are for driving (they drive on the left side, just like the United States) only, although we sometimes do walk in the road as the sidewalks tend to be crowded at certain times. The inside lane, in between the 2 driving lanes is designed for trams and emergency vehicles only, but an occasional taxi driver or moped driver will use it for a convenient, less busy drive to town. Throughout the summer I will be looking at various aspects of this street.
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