Travel Day & Orientation

Travel Day

    The students arrived in JFK ready to take on their European adventure. With 14/20 students from our program on the flight, it was a great way to start building connections that are already deepening by day 2. You may be surprised to learn NYC was not as big of a city as you may imagine. Students found that a lot of them have friends in common and used this as a launching point for relationship building. Most students opted to eat at Shake Shack stating that “this was their last chance to have a hamburger for 3 weeks!” 

First Taste of Italy

    Upon arriving at the hotel, students were amazed at the beautiful architecture of our charming hotel. The paintings and decor are quintessentially Italian in every sense. The best part for many though, was the surprise AC in our rooms, as these Americans had been mentally preparing to tackle the 90 degree temps this week without their typical comforts of home. With further investigation, we found a terrace with stunning views of the city. Students have already planned to spend their last sunrise in Rome on the roof. 

    Students were escorted to a restaurant 5 minutes from our hotel. There, we discovered a 117 year old building with a charming owner. Students got their first taste of Italian cuisine with pasta. They had the choice between: marinara, pesto, and cacio e pepe. While dining we learned a fun fact about the location. As most remodelers are, the owners were shocked to learn that the beautiful molding on the ceiling was hidden beneath a layer of bland drywall. With a city this old, it was our first taste of discovering the history behind the walls.

Orientation & the Neighborhood

   To start or first day full day in Rome, students had breakfast in the hotel lobby with a spread of cereal, traditional Italian breakfast pastries, and coffee. The braver of our group took the dive and had espresso with their morning meal to really set the tone for the day. On our walk to the center we encountered gorgeous views like the “blue print” for the Colosseum and the monument for the last King of Italy. The best surprise though, was finding that the study center is located on the main floor of a 16th century palace.

  After lunch, students were given free time to explore the city in groups. During end of the day circle, most of them reported that this was their favorite part of the day! They stumbled across ancient ruins, churches, thrift stores, and local landmarks. Students got a taste of the Italian heat on their adventures and were reminded of the importance of sun screen and water. 

  To wrap the day we took a tour of the neighborhood guided by a CIEE employee Giorgia who is a native local. She had a lot of great insights and answered all the students questions about life in Italy. Speaking of a neighborhood tour, its not every day you get to say the Colosseum is in your neighborhood! We learned that Ancient Romans used to import water to have navel battles in the Colosseum along with the traditional sparing that is depicted in movies. Giorgia introduced the students to “Nadine” or “Large Nose” for it’s shape. These are all over the city with clean water to fill bottles with (another contender for the the most popular “high” of the day). 

 The following photo pose was the recommendation of Quinn who said “the parents would like a photo of us looking at the water.” I am open to feedback on this choice, let your student know to report back your thoughts on this artist pose!

Gelato Experts Loading….

   We are off to a strong start with 2/2 days ending in Gelato. The students are determined to try as many different places as possible. This has inspired this segment titled “Gelato Experts.” For today’s review I was able to check in with Sophia, Justin, and Ivan to get their hot takes on today’s location.

Sophia: 8.5/10 “Today was better than yesterday. It was a light and refreshing treat after our walk around the city.”

Ivan: 10/10 “Chocolate and mango are the best choices.” When I asked him to elaborate, he said there is “‘no need for further comment.”

Justin: 8/10 “I chose strawberry and mint. The strawberry wasn’t as good as expected but the mint was good.”

     Ivan strongly disagreed with his choice of mint and said he deserves a 2/10 for his selection. As for the strawberry Luccas reported it being more bitter than he had expected as well. As for this author, I would say today’s gelato rang in high as the baseline for the Gelato Tour.