1: no tourists are safe

394 words, 2 minutes read time.

On my journey from the airport to the accommodation we saw a lot of hills and open fields. The houses we passed by looked very quaint and cottage-like. When we approached our accommodation I saw the walls of the Vatican City and also long lines of people outside it. I also noticed how many people, even in this hot weather, were wearing long pants or even jeans. This surprised me as the weather was too hot, but that seems to be the culture here.

When walking across the streets I realized how cars did not seem to look like they were slowing down, even as my group and I were crossing the streets. This is very similar to what I read in Culturesmart!. On page 143, it said how cars do not usually stop at red lights, or they don’t wait for people to completely cross, and it was actually surprising to see that in person. Also, while we were walking with the professor, she pointed out a café where people can either buy a coffee and lounge around, which would be more money, or they can buy a coffee and stand around the bar to drink it. This reminded me of chapter 6, page 121, it talked about “al banco,” which is buying a coffee and standing at the bar to quickly drink it. “It is up to three times cheaper than sitting at a table inside or out on the terrace” (pg. 121). This cultural aspect of Italians showed me how appreciative they are of just sitting around just to lounge and not be in a rush to do something. I feel like people in NYC should do the same.

My strongest scent would definitely be the sunscreen that I kept applying today. The sun was very harsh, and it is important to reapply! But other than that, the scent and sound of the water coming from the Trevi fountain today was also very memorable. The Trevi fountain is an iconic landmark of Rome, so it was exciting for me to finally see it in person.

The amount of tourists, or just people in general, reminded me of NYC today. Especially by the Pantheon, there were many people and it reminded me of how I try to navigate through Times Square (which I try to avoid).

6 responses to “1: no tourists are safe”

khadijafall905

June 2, 2025

I definitely agree with the comment about Trevi fountain; I had heard the water before I even saw the actual fountain, and it made it very memorable and commanding. The amount of tourists also really reminded me of Times Square and other tourist-y spots, and despite feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of people, it really reminded me of home. I definitely think the concept of an “al banco” in NYC is really interesting, and New York could definitely adopt some Roman practices, like a better public transportation system.

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danteclem

June 2, 2025

Seeing people who looked like locals be more covered than I was that day and handling it fine when I was sweating like crazy was definitely a humbling experience. I’d love to try going to a standing cafe like the ones CultureSmart! and Professor Yarrow described, but it feels like a strangely foreign concept to me. Maybe I’m just too scared of inconveniencing cafe workers by leaning on their bar? I’m sure I’ll try it regardless, though.

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moussatonicisse

June 3, 2025

Amazing Comment!

I really understood the car thing! The cars do not slow down and sometimes would open their windows and say something at you. The first couple of times I got slightly annoyed, but I understood that I am a foreigner here and that this must just be part of the culture. I wondered if this had to do with the fact that some of us are obviously tourists and whether or not they have a special kind of dislike towards us. Further, I noticed how you have to be assertive even as a pedestrian. You need to walk with almost an unwavering confidence to be able to cross the road safely. It was definitely an interesting experience!

Oh and as for sunscreen at least you had yours ON! I totally forgot mine. The heat here is not to be played with!

–Moussa Toni Cissé

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Tina

July 5, 2025

Hi, Jessica
“I also noticed how many people, even in this hot weather, were wearing long pants or even jeans. This surprised me as the weather was too hot, but that seems to be the culture here.” I also noticed this too, while I was melting due to the heat, the locals seemed to be none the better for the heat at all. I guess that is how you distinguish between locals and tourists in Rome. But I agree with you, tho, wearing long jeans in this weather is no different than giving your legs a sauna treatment.

-Tina

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Julia F 🌸

July 5, 2025

It’s funny that you comment on being able to spot locals versus tourists based on how covered up they are. My sister and I always joke about being able to spot Italians in the wild — when in doubt, the person wearing a scarf in 75 degree weather is likely an Italian! I’m not sure what their beef is with being cool, but it’s somehow become public enemy number one and the reason for most of their problems. I definitely didn’t inherit that trait – me and my AC are as thick as thieves.

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isabelherrera79

July 6, 2025

Seeing the Italians wearing jeans in the hot weather made me sweat just looking at them. The reapplication of sunscreen was extremely important, I started to run out so the hunt for sunscreen was very stressful to say the least.

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