Buonasera, di Roma

I have the privilege of auditing the Elementary Italian 1 class here at the Rome Center each day in addition to my two classes. I have been to two Italian classes so far and have learned a lot! It is very similar to French and knowing how to learn a language after learning French makes it a lot easier to learn another one. Professor Barbara Spaccini is really cool. She speaks mostly in Italian and helps us understand by context clues. She goes pretty fast but since it's the intro it's not too bad. We've learned how to ask someones name, ask what something is or how to say it, say how you're feeling, numbers, letters, some pronunciation and other common phrases like "allora," which I frequently hear because it's like our "and then" or "umm".

"Allora", today I met up with an old friend I haven't seen since moved from Pittsburgh 5 years ago. I found out she is studying abroad here in Rome too through facebook! Gotta love technology :) So we met at St. Peter's Square and she showed me this great crepe place and the best gelato place yet!! You can get three scoops of gelato for 1.50 euros when normally you get one or two scoops for 2.50 euros! Definitely going back! I got caffe, cioccolato, and carmel. Allora, we chatted for a long time and I got to ask about all my old friends and hear about where they are going to school now. She also showed me this bar that is famous from Pittsburgh because the guy who owns it is a big Steelers fan so it's covered in Steelers garb and people from Pittsburgh visit it. It also had all sorts of American college pendants which was awesome. I really need an U of A one to hang up there! They even had an LSU one...

Domani (tomorrow), I am going to the Colosseum and Roman Forum with my world civ and art history classes. I am all caught up on my reading of Roman architecture and the Roman games so I am excited to analyze it tomorrow!

Ciao!

St. Peter's Basilica

part of the St. Peter's Square in front of the Basilica