Un Giorno a Tivoli

Our first Saturday in Italy was spent exploring a city older than Rome itself: Tivoli! This town was established in 338 BC and is home to about 55,000 people. How lucky we were to have the chance to explore it for the day!

Our day started earlier than usual by meeting at the CIEE center at 8 AM. From there, we walked a bit to where our private tour bus was waiting to pick us up. We were happy to know it was air-conditioned! We headed northeast from Rome for about an hour. Once we arrived, we crossed the street and were greeted by a beautiful panorama of the surrounding area. We could also feel the fresher and cooler air compared to Rome. From there, we walked to one of the town's piazzas that was surrounded by cafes, shops selling souvenirs and leather purses, and restaurants. We had some time until our tour started, so we strolled around the piazza, walking in and out of the stops, getting some water, or using the bathroom.

Once it was time for our tour to start, we made our way to Villa d'Este for a one-hour guided tour. Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa, palace, and garden. It's one of the most remarkable and comprehensive illustrations of Renaissance culture. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On our tour, we saw many beautiful fountains where turtles enjoyed sunbathing. There were also baby frogs near some of the fountains that the students loved taking pictures of and holding on their fingertips. After our tour, the students had free time to walk the gardens and take photos. Then it was time for pranzo!

This year, we tried a new restaurant. It was located in the historic part of Tivoli, and we had the whole terrace to ourselves! The pranzo consisted of four courses. The first course was bruschetta, one with tomatoes and the other with olives and sausage. For the second course, we ate mezzi rigatoni alla amatriciana (my favorite Roman pasta dish). This dish contains guanciale, pecorino romano cheese, black pepper, and tomato sauce. 

After the pasta, they brought out cooked pig and potato wedges cooked with olive oil and rosemary. Yum! After that, they brought out sliced watermelon, which was very refreshing since we were eating outside in 96-degree weather.

Safe to say, we were all very full at the end of this delicious meal!

After lunch, we had about two hours before returning to the bus. In groups, the students had free time to explore the town. Some went to a nearby cafe to drink coffee, eat gelato, and relax. Some others went to a nearby hair salon and got their hair done. What a fun way to practice Italian and learn about Italian culture! After free time was over, we all met up in the piazza near Villa d'Este to head back on the bus. Many of the students were ready to return to air conditioning and rest their legs on the bus. Once we returned to Rome, the students were ready to rest and relax with their host families after having such a fun-filled day exploring Tivoli! I hope you come back to the blog to check out what new adventures the following week in Rome will bring us!