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Before you get comfortable in your seat and prepare yourself to to get a glimpse of what my 2017 study abroad experience is like, go grab yourself a glass of wine. In terms of numerical figures, I'll be posting once a week for my sixteen week study abroad program with the Catholic University of America's Architecture and Planning program. Therefore, you'll need at least sixteen moments of peace over the next four months to sit down - possibly with a glass of wine - to check out what I am up to! I don't think I'm putting anyone in a stressful situation here!  You'll get the best understanding of my architecture program, my personal European travel and the Italian culture, cuisine and cities through these postings. So, sit back and enjoy... the adventure begins here with the week spanning from January 22nd, 2017 through January 29th.  

ARCHITETTURA ISTRUZIONE.

In architecture school, we are always kindly reminded that while we are typically designing for the present, that we must have an awareness for both the past and the future. Studying architecture, in the Eternal City, gives us an opportunity to truly understand the reasons why we should be in tune with the past while preparing for the present and the future. While using this city as a classroom, we are taught to get lost in the city. We are taught to analyze this city. We are taught to be focused on the small, medium and large scales of this city. And in the end, we are taught to design in this city. Understanding the scales, proportions and monumentality of the different places, buildings and sculptures shown below aid us in understanding what has been done and what more there is yet to come.  

LA CUCINA. 

The first Italian Restaurant that I had the pleasure to experience was a small place in Trastevere, Roma that goes by the name of Grazia & Graziella. This spot had a beautiful outdoor patio that had an abundance of heat lamps, so of course we chose to sit on the cobble stone patio. It seems to be very common for those waiters and waitresses standing outside of Italian Restaurants to give away special deals that are "just for YOU!" Typically, these lunch time deals include Bruschetta, Pizza/Pasta/Salad and a drink for a set price. For €10, I had a very tasty and large lunch that consisted of Bruschetta, Funghi Pizza, vino rosso della casa (House Red) and a complimentary Limoncello shot. The pizza was enough for that days lunch plus leftovers for another days worth of lunch. I'm sure that those at Grazia & Graziella will be seeing me again while I am in Rome!  

To start the semester on a good note, our professors took the group of CUArch students to dinner at La Pollarola. La Pollarola is located very close to Campo de Fiori, a familiar place that we, CUArch students, have stumbled upon numerous times early in the week. Everyone was greeted with friendly smiles from the staff as we entered and quite immediately a plate of various appetizers were placed in front of us. Moving onto the main course, I was happy to try my first baked cannelloni. To finish off dinner, we were left with hands down the best tiramisu that I have yet to try. The rich coffee flavor enhanced the creamy custard layers on a degree that I've never seen before and lets just say that I could have easily eaten three of these dessert dishes. 

I have to admit that I have tried quite a few different gelato shops since my arrival in Rome. I'd like to highlight my favorite, Gelateria della Palma, a gelato shop that is proud to serve over 150 different flavor selections. I would certainly hope that anyone could find something that they would enjoy here! And as a shameless plug, I would certainly like to recommend the combination of the flavors Dark Chocolate and Irish Coffee. The €2,50 worth of gelato here certainly put a smile on my face for the rest of that Saturday afternoon.  

If you and a group of friends were wandering throughout Trastevere and had quite an appetite, I would suggest for you to go visit Popi Popi. Here, the pasta, pizza and meat/seafood selection is quite extensive and I really think that there is something on this menu for everyone. If you're interested in trying salmon in a different way then I would suggest that you indulge in Fettuccine al salmone. This pasta dish had small chunks of salmon that was topped with a cream based sauce with a smoked salmon flavor.  

How did we end up at Da Vittorio a Trastevere? Well, we let our hangry states of body and mind do the walking! Da Vittorio is a super close spot near our campus and we sure did arrive at the right time for within ten minutes of sitting down at our outside tables, surrounded by heat lamps, the restaurant was packed and people were walking away with sad faces when they came to learn that there were no more open tables at the time. The staff thought that they were doing us an injustice by having us sit outside due to our large party number, but luckily we were quite content with our seats. They continued to explain how sorry they were by giving us 50% all of our wine! Pictured below is the gnocchi dish that I may or may not have finished in less than five minutes.  

& well, then there is espresso, macchiato and cappuccino....  

CERCHIAMO DI VIAGGIARE.

The good news is... exciting travel trips are underway! In just a couple of weeks I am looking forward to be traveling Northern Italy alongside my classmates and professors. Places that should get ready for this #nosleep group include Milan, Venice and Florence! For more independent travel, March seems to be a beautiful time for Paris and London! If you have any recommendations for places that I should visit in Rome, Paris or London, then please leave your knowledge in the comments below!