Cinema Island, SounDrome!

Last night was one of the most amazing nights EVER! Jeff, Katie, Trent and I went to SounDrome, a one-day electronic/house music festival at Stadio Olimpico (Olympic Stadium) and it was the CRAZIEST experience ever! it was beyond amazing. The cultural aspect of it was so cool because ive never been to a music fest in another country, and the music itself was to die for. I'm sore today, which means it was a great night and lots and lots of dancing! Tonight our program director Michael took us to a fabulous pizzeria for dinner with AMAZING pizza and wine! Afterwards, we went to an 'island' in the middle of the Tiber called Cinema Island, where they have very chic and swanky bars/tapas and an outdoor screening area where they play both American and Italian movies (but they are all in Italian...without subtitles..) Tonight we saw the movie J. Edgar, which in the states had pretty mixed reviews, and watching it in Italian was SO confusing to say the least...I am starting to really understand italian, but watching an entire movie that has a plot that is hard to grasp in english is so confusing!! Anyway, headed to bed...going back to Sperlonga in the morning for another fabulous trip to el mare!! PS GOING TO LONDON! July 13-16! cant wait! This is my last weekend in Rome, next weekend is Florence, and then London...i will update as much as i can, and definitely by Sunday so I can post pictures from this past weekend!! Ciao

Ephiphone

Today was the very first day i realized.....im in ITALY! this is crazy! like...im in italy, where george clooney vacations, where amazing wine cheese and pasta are never ending, the beaches are amazing....


my journey to the medeterranian sea today was probably my "i cant believe im in italy" moment....this is such a beautiful country. and im super sunburnt but also getting tan!! besides that, im happy as a clam here :) so, as i sit here enjoying the pasta and salad i just made alongside a glass of vino bianco, i cant help but feel so greatful for this experience. I will update and post pictures later....for now, ciao!

Romein' to Sperlonga

I have found where Heaven on earth is: Sperlonga, Italy! On Saturday we went to the beach off the western coast of Italy on the Mediterranean sea, and there aren't words, only pictures, to describe how absolutely beautiful it was. It looked similar to somewhere in Greece...there were many colorful, clean and cozy villas shacked delicately on a mini-mountain that winded down to a sandy beach and crystal blue water. I dont think I will ever be able to call another beach that beautiful again! Most of the people that were there were locals, or Italian at least. The authenticity of the beach made the experience that much more wonderful. Before we went down to the ocean, we stopped by a meat/sandwich shop and the mozzarella was soo fresh,YUM. Here are a few pictures from Sperlonga (although they dont do the city justice):

 At the top of the village/town/

(this is from the Spanish Steps, but i thought id include it in!)

Today we had our first Italian class! The program director and I talked beforehand because I already took a year of Italian and have covered all of the things that are being taught in the course, so afterwards we decided that I'm just going to meet with one of the interns at Italia Idea (our school) during our class time and have one-on-one dialogue thats a little bit more advanced...which should be an amazing opportunity! My italian is a little rusty, but i hope it will slowly start coming back to me...Tomorrow we have our first Italian cinema course and are watching Bicycle Thieves and then going to the location in Rome where it was filmed. Yesterday was my roommates' birthday so we went out to Campo Di Fiore for drinks and dinner, and then to Trevi fountain. Cant complain at all! its SO SO SO SO SO hot here, and we are always outside, so i have gotten some interesting tan lines, but if thats the worst thing that can happen then that is totally fine with me! Tonight we are going out to watch Italy in the Eurocup, but I will try and update my blog tomorrow or Thursday!

Bailey

Ciao, Chicago....Buongiorno, Roma!

Buongiorno! Mi chiamo Bailey, and this is my blog documenting my adventures studying abroad in Italy! I usually get so bored journaling, but this way I can share with family, friends, and whoever else is curious a censored version of what I'm up to and the fabulous stories I have to tell! It's about 7pm here in Rome, so i'll try to squeeze in as much as i can before I get tired of typing. After a long, long flight from O'Hare to Brussels, a five hour layover, then two hour flight from Brussels to Rome, I arrived at my apartment Wednesday night around six pm. The apartment is WONDERFUL! It is in Trestevere, which is located west (i think) of the Tiber river and is such a cozy, authentic and beautiful area filled with warm energy and amazing wine/food. Most of us (there are 20) are in the building i'm staying in, while four of the guys are in an apartment just around the corner. I'm in a six-person apartment (three girls in a 2 bed/2 bath), and I thought that it would be tiny and crowded but its actually really nice, clean, modern and inviting. I havent slept on a twin bed since i lived in the dorms freshman year, but its becoming cozy. The floors are a gorgeous marble and we each have our own closet (thank god!) and each bedroom has a balcony. I was a little anxious upon my arrival because i didnt know what to expect, but it has been such an easy transition! The only thing that threw me off the first two days was being jetlagged...which is normal. I was one of the last ones to arrive here, and the strange hours of my flights make sense as to why i felt a little spacey the next day. Yesterday (thursday) we did SO much...we walked through the entire city! The first couple days here are more of like an 'orientation' to the city, so we are kind of cramming in alot of the 'sightseeing' or visiting the big landmarks (trevi fountain, colosseum, pantheon) so that we can get a bearing. Its hard to take everything in because its so beautiful and amazing, but this way we can have a grounded idea of how the city winds as we journey on our own. One of my favorite areas so far has been the Spanish Steps. It was overcrowded with tourists when we went, but the school where i'm studying (Italia Idea) is a block away so im going to make multiple points to go on my own and have some 'me' time while absorbing the beautiful view. This city is so large but at the same time, so peaceful. It's such a happy place to be....no violence, no crime, and its not AS touristy as it has been made out to be. Obviously, the center of Rome by the landmarks is filled with people taking pictures and many tourists but the beauty of Rome lies within the side streets, beautifully-made apartments/shops and the colors. Every street is colorful...EVERY single house is exactly like the crazy, unbelieveable ones you see on pinterest that are multi-colored and so beautiful that it doesnt even seen to be real (i keep telling my friends here that everywhere we go looks like Pinterest!). The food is amazing, incredible, PHENOMENAL! The ingredients are so fresh! We are going to the beach tomorrow for the day and I will try and post more pictures/write more sometime on Sunday or Monday! Ciao! -Bae Bae