The moment I heard that the girls in the CAS program at Penn State would be staying in Trastevere, Rome, I immediately 'Googled' it and came across some very exciting information. Trastevere is not just another pretty name. It is in fact one of the oldest cities in Rome and is home to one of the most famous and most visited churches, the Church of San Maria in Trastevere. It is also very authentic and most of the people in the area are locals who do not speak very much English at all (more on that later). The piazza is adjacent to the church and contains a fountain made by Carlo Fontana (go figure) in 1692. Since the piazza is constantly alive with families, students, tourists, pets, and vendors, I thought it would be a great place to sit down and observe its inhabitants at all different times of the day and night.
Last night, my roommate Hilary and I decided to get pizza close-by in Trastevere, which was the perfect opportunity for me to start my careful study of this ancient piazza. We arrived there at about 8 PM after we had purchased some world-famous potato pizza from Pizzarius. The two bakers there had no idea how to speak English, and when my credit card did not scan, we had a heck of a time trying to communicate to each other what exactly was going on. Eventually though, after using some awkward sign language, we were able to figure it out and have a nice laugh, which thankfully translates! As we walked towards the piazza, the crowd density began to increase so we knew that we were close. Then when we saw the fountain and the church in the distance, we knew that we were in the right spot. Most of the ristorantis were at capacity and the entire surrounding area buzzed with the afterthoughts of a normal Roman workday.
The funniest part of our night was when an Indian man began to perform magic tricks in front of the fountain (see photo). I hesitate to give him the title "magician" because his tricks were so awful that they were almost laughable. First, he pulled out a silver pole and after a minute of chanting and twirling, they were magically transformed into a bouquet of yellow flowers (as seen in the picture). His next trick consisted of him waving around a silk cloth which changed colors when he flipped it upside-down. At this point, I was very satisfied with my decision to pick the Piazza Santa Maria as one of my categories. If the rest of the days and nights I spend there are like this one, I will have much to report back on - A Piu Tardi!
Last night, my roommate Hilary and I decided to get pizza close-by in Trastevere, which was the perfect opportunity for me to start my careful study of this ancient piazza. We arrived there at about 8 PM after we had purchased some world-famous potato pizza from Pizzarius. The two bakers there had no idea how to speak English, and when my credit card did not scan, we had a heck of a time trying to communicate to each other what exactly was going on. Eventually though, after using some awkward sign language, we were able to figure it out and have a nice laugh, which thankfully translates! As we walked towards the piazza, the crowd density began to increase so we knew that we were close. Then when we saw the fountain and the church in the distance, we knew that we were in the right spot. Most of the ristorantis were at capacity and the entire surrounding area buzzed with the afterthoughts of a normal Roman workday.
The funniest part of our night was when an Indian man began to perform magic tricks in front of the fountain (see photo). I hesitate to give him the title "magician" because his tricks were so awful that they were almost laughable. First, he pulled out a silver pole and after a minute of chanting and twirling, they were magically transformed into a bouquet of yellow flowers (as seen in the picture). His next trick consisted of him waving around a silk cloth which changed colors when he flipped it upside-down. At this point, I was very satisfied with my decision to pick the Piazza Santa Maria as one of my categories. If the rest of the days and nights I spend there are like this one, I will have much to report back on - A Piu Tardi!
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