Mi Piace, Mi Gusta – Day 6: Una tipica giornata a Roma (a typical day in Rome)

For today’s blog post, I’m joining with the Spin Cycle blog prompt over at Lemon Drop Pie. Our prompt for this week is to talk about our typical day or our routines, so I’m going to talk today about a typical day in Rome for me.

My day begins with two annoying alarm clocks because I have difficulty waking up. I’ve got my iPhone alarm and a travel alarm clock. I usually hit snooze on both.

After showering and dressing, I lift the wooden blinds that lead out to my balcony and take a moment to savor the beautiful view of the northern Roman hills before heading into the kitchen where I join my landlady who has made a little cup of coffee for me. I add sugar and milk, of course. With my coffee, I eat some yogurt or a piece of fruit.  I do this quickly because it is suddenly 8:25  a.m., and that means it’s time for me to leave for school. With a quick “Ciao!” I run out the door and down the seven flights of stairs to the ground level. I could  take the elevator, but it’s one of those ancient cagey types that creak a lot and creep me out, so I try to use it only for going up.

Using an app on my phone, I discovered today that the walk to school is 1.52 miles, which takes me about 27 minutes after I get down all those stairs. I walk through a nice residential neighborhood (home to a  lot of doctors and lawyers, so it’s safe) and pass a number of cafes where people are getting their cappuccino (because morning is the proper time for cappuccino). Soon, I cross the Via della Conciliazione, where I wave to St. Peter’s Basilica and say, “Buongiorno, San Pietro!” (Okay, I do this in my head, but you get the idea.) Then I cross the Tiber River into the center of Rome, where I pass a lot of tourists looking lost and taking pictures. From the Tiber, it is only another 5-10 minutes to school.

Every morning, the same white-haired man, dressed in black pants, a white shirt, and a black vest, greets everyone who walks into the building. The building holds several different offices and businesses, and I think he must run the whole building.

Up a flight and a half of stairs, I turn into the hallways that hold my language school. Through these narrow hallways, I find my way to my room where often a few students already wait. At 9:00 a.m., the teacher enters, and we start class. We have a workbook and worksheets that we use, plus general conversation (for example, today we all talked about our plans for the weekend).

After an hour and a half, we take a fifteen-minute break, which isn’t a lot of time to visit the restroom and grab a quick coffee, especially since my favorite little cappuccino spot from last year has closed.

Then it’s back to class for another hour and a half of instruction. Class gets out at 12:15. Usually,  I’ll grab a small bit to eat then. It may be some fruit, a panino from a local shop, some “pizza by the slice,” and/or gelato. These I usually eat outside at a piazza where I can  partake of some people watching.

Then I might do a little grocery shopping or visit a church if I find one open, but a lot of them close for a “riposo” (a siesta) for a bit in the afternoon.

Back at the apartment, I work on my homework and maybe do a little reading and/or writing. My landlady is often home then, so I chat with her for a little bit.

In late afternoon, I head back out. Usually this means meeting up with Katie after her afternoon class, although I may make a stop somewhere before meeting her. It’s nice when I can find a quiet church where I can pray while contemplating some truly amazing works of art.

Madonna and Child (Mary and Jesus) at the Pantheon (which is a church, don’t forget!)

Our evenings are spent doing a little sightseeing and finding some dinner. They may also include the evening activities with the school, like the orientation meeting on Monday, the group dinner on Tuesday, or the guided tour on Wednesday.

Evenings here in Rome are truly beautiful. The sun is low in the sky, and there’s often a light breeze. The streets fill with people going for walks, whether they are just strolling, shopping, or searching for a great gelateria.

Tiber River at night

Then the sun sets, and the piazzas really come to life. Children play, nuns eat gelato, couples flirt, musicians play, and tourists stop for photos.

Not a bad typical day, huh?

Added not: Katie said I should tell you about the gelato fest tonight, and to be sure, gelato is definitely a part of our typical day in Rome. However, Katie and her roommate saw a newspaper notice about a gelato fest, so we took a tram north and found the fest. Really, it was just a few gelato trucks with different flavors to try. They were unique flavors that I think were supposed to have been made by  celebrity chefs. For example, one flavor we had  was called Coure di fragola al muscovado and had strawberries, brown sugar, and Brazilian brandy.