1. The winter coat is more important than the actual outfit.

I’m serious about this one, and I think about it almost every day. No, I’m not proud of my very evident trashy coats here. Peacoats are everywhere––Flannel ones, bright red ones, classic black or tan ones. They line the streets. Any old pair of jeans or plain white long sleeve is instantly classier with a long, warm peacoat.

At home, we all know that we bundle up in our floor-length, gigantic black puffers with the fur lined hoods and trudge our way between classes. The second we get into that class, we shed the coat and our true outfit starts. In Italy, it’s all about the coat. So many people are walking around or having a cappuccino or commuting from place to place that the coat becomes the outfit. 

Italians dress for the season. Ironically, the time between February and March are typically the coldest part of the year due to the wind. If you’re in the sun, it feels like spring! But the second you turn the corner, the haunting chill of winter slaps you in the face. 

I’ve put off buying a new coat since I’ve been here (I only brought a short leather jacket and a tiny spring North Face puffer), because I assumed that it would only get warmer from here. Now, I fear my days are numbered before I crack and buy a fancy peacoat. 

2. Go in the random church or museum you pass by on your way.

Rome is filled with churches. There are well over 900 sprinkled around the city––which, for you Hope College people, it’s kind of like living in Wheaton, Illinois but on a much bigger and more anciently beautiful scale. But don’t take it for granted! The Sistine Chapel is far from the only beautiful church in the city. 

I’m lucky enough to be able to take an art history class that mostly focuses on various churches spread around Rome. Most Tuesday class periods are spent walking around and dipping into some of these churches to discuss the frescos, facades, and various famous oil paintings adorning the altars. 

I always find myself stunned when I walk in, no matter how many I’ve been to at this point. The Catholic Counter Reformation really led to a scramble of incredible art commissions, and it’s really special that we still get to enjoy it all!

3. Dolce far niente: The beauty of doing nothing.

Have I fully learned this lesson, body and soul? Obviously not. It’s a tough one to learn. That said, a morning spent getting a near-silent cappuccino with friends––because sometimes just being together, watching passerby and enjoying the warm drink is enough. 

But, this lesson is more than dolce far niente. In fact, it’s the culture through language, which usually means all the adorable little phrases I’ve learned since I’ve been here. For example, I just learned “colpo d’aria” which literally means, “a whack of air.” Italians hate the wind! As do I! 

Next time you cheers your drinks at New Holland, do as the Romans do! Don’t say cheers, say “Cin cin!” I think it sounds like your glasses clinking together, and it’s adorable. 

If you want more Rome-isms, I recommend following @romeismore on Instagram. They’re always posting true Roman colloquial sayings, which I find very fun. 

4. When an old lady gestures at you at the crosswalk, she’s asking you to walk her across the street.

Yep… This one is an awkward story… We thought this sweet Nonna was asking us if she could cross, to which we emphatically said, “No!!” because the pedestrian light was red. Which made us look like even bigger jerks when she, fed up at this point, went to another bystander who quickly took her arm. 

One of the many, many humbling stories here.

5. I should really do more road-tripping in Michigan.

I almost feel like it’s embarrassing now, looking back, how much I’ve let each semester completely consume me. It’s like I live, for those couple months, with blinders on my face and I can’t focus on anything else but school, extracurriculars, and work. 

But brush up those AirBnBs, Michiganders! I’ll be there, come next year, I promise! And if not, well then hopefully I’ll be in Nashville or Florida or… Wherever else college students roadtrip to!

Published by kathrynsmith

Class of 2023 Communications Major, Writing and Theatre Double Minor IES Rome, Italy

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