The Aventine Hill

Where I live...

As part of our three day orientation here at Trinity in Rome we have a bunch of walking tours around the city. On the first day we started with a tour around the neighborhood that we will be living in on the Aventine hill. I love this area because it's away from the touristy area of Rome. We are still well within walking distance to the Colosseum, the Spanish steps and Trevi fountain, but the area we are in is a nice quiet residential area. Walking around I see mainly natives, not tourists and that really helps me feel like I'm living here, not just visiting. It also gives you the best opportunity to speak with locals, especially in Italian. Near the main tourist attractions everyone just speaks to you in English and won't bother to listen to your bad Italian, whereas around here most don't speak much English, if any.

Just around the corner from our convent. So quiet and peaceful...

We get meal passes for three dinners a week to 4 local restaurants and 1 local groceray store. So far, we have eaten at two of the restaurants and they are fantastic. It really is true that all food is better in Italy. I don't normally like pesto sauce and when I heard that's what we were having at il Rino (we didn't get options there) I was a little worried, but I tried it and it was AMAZING! Seriously, it tasted like Christmas (because of the PINE nuts...lol).  The pasta itself is just a 1000 times better than in America and the sauces are sooo good. There's just no way to describe how much I am loving Italian cuisine! We had a mushroom risotto the other day at lunch and I could not stop eating it, it was so fantastic. Even when I ordered a carbanara at L'insalata last night and it was a little too spicy for me it was still fantastic. 

And don't even get me started with the gelato... Coming here I knew about the famed gelato, but honestly didn't think I would be that in love. I do like ice cream back home so I knew I would try some for sure, but I did not think I would be so obsessed with it. I had my first gelato on the first night and I WILL be eating it everyday. It is the most heavenly, delicious, amazing, perfect thing I have ever eaten. It's so much thicker and creamier and richer than American ice cream it can't even be described as the same thing. So far I've tired this one shop's dark chocolate, milk chocolate, vanilla with chocolate chip, and peanut butter flavors and they are all amazing......now I just really want gelato....

Luckily it's now lunch time since all this talk about food has made me starving!

Ciao!