The First Week Part 2
23rd September
Chores completed: acquisition of an Italian e-sim.
Attractions visited: Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps
Italian food eaten: Crudo e Bufala – “Parma ham, buffalo mozzarella, gnocco fritto bread and cherry tomato confit”
25th September
This was a productive day. I bought the ‘marca di bollo’ stamp needed for my permit paperwork, collected all the completed documents, and headed to the post office. It was another huge relief getting this sorted and it meant that we could enjoy our visit to the colosseum without any other thoughts in the back of our minds. When we arrived, I was happy to find out that it did not disappoint and despite all the scaffolding and packs of people it was difficult to stop ourselves from immediately taking photos. Our tour started at 2pm and lasted until 5:45pm so you can say we got our money’s worth. Throughout the tour I learnt several facts:
1. Gladiators were – in the words of our guide – “chubby”, “fatty” and vegetarians.
2. Several species of animals went extinct as a result of the gladiator shows.
3. It was more often closed than open.
After the tours we wondered into Monti for dinner. I tried cacio e pepe for the first time but struggled to finish due to the dangerous level of salt I was dealing with. I couldn’t tell if it was the true recipe or if someone had it in for me. Dad’s pork chops on the other hand were supposedly fantastic. Feeling full to bursting we headed back to the station via the colosseum to see it lit up in the dark. On the way we saw some fun looking pubs and bars, including an ‘ice club’. Yes, a club with a frozen interior. Inside we saw five people clutching drinks while wrapped in ponchos. On the road leading to the colosseum there was a man playing jazz music on his saxophone. It was a pretty great end to the day.
26th September
I went to the shops on my own for the first time. How long would it take until this simple task wasn’t so intimidating? This was a lazy day but still enjoyable. In the afternoon I went back to my new flat and met the landlady, Debora, along with her friend who was a teacher at the school I would be working at. It was really nice to meet another person who would become a familiar face and while we were there I also met Debora’s daughter who also lives in the flat.
For dinner we had one last meal together at a small bar and then headed back home for Mum and Dad to pack.
