Just a couple of days after we arrived in Naples, we set off for a quick trip up to Rome for Justin's Fulbright Orientation. We grabbed a couple of round-trip tickets on the "fast train" for €36 each. On the scheduled day, we rode the metro to the train station, and two hours later we were in Rome. Getting to Rome has never been so easy!
The Fulbright Commission had reserved a hotel for us for the duration of our stay. Our first night we met up with many of Justin's fellow Fulbrighters for dinner. Everybody is very kind. Other grantees are doing a variety of projects all throughout Italy including researching concussions and soccer players, writing a novel, producing a documentary about African immigrants in Rome and translating Italian poetry. There is also a small group that will be doing English teaching assistantships. As you can imagine, it is a dynamic group. Everyone was charmed by Noelle. We were surprised to learn that she is not the only child here with Fulbright. Someone else brought along their two-year-old boy.
Justin enjoyed his orientation and thought it was a nice primer on Italian culture and politics. Of course it was also helpful to interact with the other Fulbrighters, talk with them about their projects and discover that they were experiencing similar challenges getting settled into their new homes. While Justin was gone, Noelle and I took advantage of the free Wi-Fi at the hotel and explored the area surrounding. She and I went to a gelateria that once served Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler.
On our final day, we were thwarted once again in our attempt to visit the Galleria Borghese because we waited too long to secure reservations. We will keep trying. Instead we went with a couple other Fulbrighters to visit the main archaeological sites in Rome: the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Pantheon. Noelle slept through most of it.
The Pantheon is by far my favorite place in Rome. I love that it is free to visit. I also love the simplicity of the architecture. Afterward, we ate hazelnut and pistachio gelato at my favorite gelateria, San Crispino's and had some dinner (in that order).
It was a great trip, but it was a little hectic right after we arrived in Italy. Justin and I were glad to return to our new home in Naples and finish settling in.
The Fulbright Commission had reserved a hotel for us for the duration of our stay. Our first night we met up with many of Justin's fellow Fulbrighters for dinner. Everybody is very kind. Other grantees are doing a variety of projects all throughout Italy including researching concussions and soccer players, writing a novel, producing a documentary about African immigrants in Rome and translating Italian poetry. There is also a small group that will be doing English teaching assistantships. As you can imagine, it is a dynamic group. Everyone was charmed by Noelle. We were surprised to learn that she is not the only child here with Fulbright. Someone else brought along their two-year-old boy.
Justin enjoyed his orientation and thought it was a nice primer on Italian culture and politics. Of course it was also helpful to interact with the other Fulbrighters, talk with them about their projects and discover that they were experiencing similar challenges getting settled into their new homes. While Justin was gone, Noelle and I took advantage of the free Wi-Fi at the hotel and explored the area surrounding. She and I went to a gelateria that once served Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler.
On our final day, we were thwarted once again in our attempt to visit the Galleria Borghese because we waited too long to secure reservations. We will keep trying. Instead we went with a couple other Fulbrighters to visit the main archaeological sites in Rome: the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Pantheon. Noelle slept through most of it.
The Pantheon is by far my favorite place in Rome. I love that it is free to visit. I also love the simplicity of the architecture. Afterward, we ate hazelnut and pistachio gelato at my favorite gelateria, San Crispino's and had some dinner (in that order).
It was a great trip, but it was a little hectic right after we arrived in Italy. Justin and I were glad to return to our new home in Naples and finish settling in.