Rome: Trastevere
Since JCU is in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, and thus my home base for 4 months, I've been doing a lot of research to get to know this area so I won't be totally lost when I get there.
Metro
I'm still figuring out Rome's transportation system. I see the Metro as all the subways, trams and buses. It seems that the subway system only has two main lines (unlike Boston's five lines), none of which goes over the Tiber River close to Trastevere. Tragic. So I have to learn to use the buses and trams, which would be easier to learn once I'm there. Hopefully it won't be too hard to figure out the stops.
Places to Eat (AKA the "foodie bucket list")
- Panattoni - according to Fodor's Essential Italy guidebook, Panattoni is a fantastic pizza place that's open late past midnight which is a rarity for any place in Italy, especially Rome. It's down the road from my school and that means this will probably be a spot for me during quite a few evenings!
- Asinocotto - found this place through Frommer's Italy 2013 guidebook and it's a very small but sophisticated place that isn't terribly expensive. It has a lot of interesting plates apparently, especially one called orecchiette pasta which consists of eggplant, bacon and smoked ricotta - that sounds so good!
- La Boccaccia - another pizza place, which offers pizza by the slice and has a variety of pizza to try from.
- Freni e Frizioni - this is a wine bar and a café combined and is great for coffee and tea if wine isn't on your palate for the being. It has a large outdoor area that seems to be a potential spot to relax at. Fodor's Essential Italy says this place is the "hipster hangout" spot. Funny.
- Trastevere's Flea Market: Porta Portese
- This is Rome's biggest flea market (garners 100,000 visitors every Sunday) and luckily it's in the same neighborhood as my school! It's open every Sunday and you can bet I'll be spending some Sundays here and trying my haggling skills. （○゜‿＾○）