LEAH HELEN: My Roman Holiday

There's nothing better than being young and foolish and waking up and realizing you are in Rome. My friends and I stayed four nights at Albergo del Sole, an inexpensive hotel located right in Campo de' Fiori. The rooms were simple and lacked air conditioning, but they had an incredible view from a large window with doors and shutters. From this window, I could enjoy all things Italian: pretty old buildings with shutters and flowers in window boxes, tiny cars, women walking along the cobblestone street in designer heels, and men in Italian suits revving up their Vespas. If I eavesdropped, I could pretend to understand the conversation of locals at a nearby cafe. Grazie. Prego. I could hear the clinking of wine glasses, a whistled tune, loud laughter, a clarinet, and a saxophone.

I explored the major sights:

the Musei Capitolini
the Spanish Steps
the Pantheon
the Coliseum
the Vatican (3 times)
the Mouth of Truth
the Trevi Fountain

A great thing about Rome is that you can walk everywhere. I only had to take 2 taxis during my entire stay- one to the hotel & one to the termini. Our hotel was in a great location. During the morning and afternoon, Campo de' Fiori is home to a market of locally grown produce. One morning I bought strawberries so delicious that they actually melted in my mouth. In the evening the fruit and vegetable stands clear out, and the piazza becomes the perfect place for dining and nightlife.

The food in Italy exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high to begin with. We made multiple visits to our favorite pizzeria and gelateria. A local Roman pointed us to the "best pizza in Rome," which was just down the street from Albergo del Sole. We ate at Baffetto on two occasions, splitting the thin crusted pizzas and sharing a liter of the red house wine. The best gelato I tasted in Italy can be found at San Crispino, just a block or two from the Trevi Fountain. My friends and I made a visit to this award-winning, hole-in-the-wall gelato shop everyday. The coffee, no matter where I tried it, was ten times better than anything I could order at a Starbucks in the US. I guess this might explain why I never saw a single Starbucks while in Italy. I tried all sorts of coffees-- the cappuccino, cafe latte, espresso, and latte macchiato. All delicious!

I loved roaming the small streets of Rome, and discovering shops and cafes. We found this little glass shop that made Murano glass and had a huge basement filled with the most beautiful handblown dishes, vases, and lamps. We also found a wood shop that makes adorable toys and cuckoo clocks. You can even purchase your very own Pinocchio puppet there. The shopping in Italy is awesome-- they are all about the fashion. I admired the leather jackets, handbags, and shoes. I jumped on the Birkenstocks bandwagon with my friends, and bought a red pair for the trip.

When in Rome one should do as the Romans do. On my last night in Rome, I did as the Spanish do and stayed up way too late. I went out with Bonnie and Andrea in Campo de' Fiori, and we met people from all corners of the world. We even met two Italians named-- are you ready for this?-- Mario and Luigi. But I think that my favorite memories in Rome are the ones I shared with new friends, whether over a leisurely dinner or on the lovely rooftop of our hotel. The rooftop had a view of the cutest courtyard below and the steeple of a church overhead. I'll always remember laughing and telling stories with a dozen of my new SAS friends, and thinking "life can't get better than this."