Campo de Fiori

After taking a several-hour walking tour of Rome yesterday with one of the professors, we decided to come back to Campo de Fiori to see what it was like at night. At the time we did not know it was basically a tourist trap, but I am glad we explored it.

We originally wanted to take the Metro, but the Cipro station was closed by the time we arrived there at 11:30 p.m. We walked down Via delle Milizie trying to decided what we wanted to do. We came to a group consensus to hop on a random night bus we found and see where it would take us. It ended up being a bus that would eventually take us to Campo de Fiori. The professors at Temple had made it seem as if the night buses were not a smart idea to take. However, my first experience on the night bus was not bad. Several Italians were very helpful to us when we asked how to get to Campo de Fiori, and one man even led us to the next bus to take from the Termini station.

When we arrived there, it was immediately apparent it was a tourist trap. People were speaking English and there were crowds outside of places named "The Drunken Ship" and "Sloppy Sam's." My goal when coming to Italy was not to act like an American but to explore the Italian way of life. I did not want to spend the night among other Americans at an American bar. We decided to get a drink at a smaller place that was not crowded.

I ordered my glass of white wine in Italian. It is cheesy, but I am very proud of myself. We were able to sit down and enjoy a drink like the Italians.

I should also mention that on the walk to Campo de Fioro, I had my first experience with the "touchiness" of Italian men. We walked by a discoteca and a man I had not even seen kissed his hand and touched my cheek as I walked by. I was too startled to even react, but I found it funny a minute later.

All worthwhile experiences.