Rome via Brooklyn

428 words, 2 minute read

The taxi ride to the apartment was long, but not as boring as I thought. For half of the ride we were surrounded by fields and trees, all vaguely familiar Mediterranean greenery. It also weirdly reminded me of the views on the Long Island Southern Parkway, especially when approaching Brooklyn. When we got into the urban areas, it was comforting knowing the city had that European feel that’s familiar and nostalgic for me; seeing the narrow brick streets and limestone buildings helped ease my nerves.

I feel like we visited and saw a million things this day. The definite highlight for me was the Sant’Angelo bridge; the entire time I was in awe of the statues (and the size of the seagulls).

Being able to see the Trevi Fountain in person was surreal; having seen and heard of this landmark for my whole life, and then actually seeing it in person was incredible. I was admittedly a little too expressive with my enthusiasm for seeing the Pantheon, but in my defense, I was severely sleep-deprived and spent the day in a fugue state. The Pantheon is such a special monument for me, as learning about it in my introductory art history class was the catalyst for my interest in Ancient Rome. I definitely plan to visit the inside one day. It was so interesting to see just how low the ground level was at the time of the Pantheon’s construction.

Just walking around the area was so much fun, though obviously it’s meant to be fun for tourists. I still had a great time looking into shop windows and smelling all the overpriced restaurant food. I really fell in love with Rome this day, and had the (albeit delusional) thought that I could live here. I then remembered all of the paperwork that would be involved, and the rest of my day was ruined.

A taste that stayed in my mouth through the moment I’m writing this post is apricot jam that we bought from the grocery store, of all things. There’s something about it that just stuck itself to my memory, I find myself craving it constantly. A smell I can’t seem to forget is also a bit strange, our dish soap we use in the apartment smells exactly the same as the one my family uses in Turkey. I smelled it while washing dishes and immediately felt like the food critic in Ratatouille when he had that flashback.

Overall, I was able to get a feel for the city, and I can’t wait to see more!

–Nico Vila