[Rome, ITALY] Not in a Day

It doesn’t take a lot of arm-wrestling to persuade someone to visit Italy or Vatican City. I anticipated the weeklong trip as anyone would: with high expectations and a fanny-pack filled with preconceived ideas. I was already aware that I would see the world’s most highly acclaimed artwork, the cappuccinos would be disappointedly small, male friends peck each other on the cheeks, and the trip would be expensive. Despite those expectations, however, I was pleasantly (and sometimes unpleasantly) surprised by my adventures in Italy.

Prices

My first impression, even from the Rome airport, was that prices were not as steep as anticipated. Of course, that opinion would slowly change every time I settled a debt with a taxi driver or would pay-to-publicly-pee ($2 USD). Regarding bathroom fees (which is typical in Europe), I often wondered what exactly I was paying for —either than the bathroom attendant wage. The washrooms were often dirty and almost always lacked urinals and toilet seats. Taxis and washrooms aside, I generally found the prices in Italy similar to those typical in Canada, or the USA, as far as Airbnb, liquor, and restaurant tabs. It was certainly less expensive than my experience in Singapore, London, and most places in Japan.

Getting Around

In Rome, I was also impressed with the cost and convenience of taking public transportation. The subway stations are quite close to many famous attractions, including the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, as well as Vatican City. One odd quality of walking through the train stations, however, (as well as downtown Rome in general), is its visible military presence.

It is a common sight to see one or two soldiers, stationed in fatigues, looking edgy, with fingers literally on the triggers of assault rifles or submachine guns. At least the public trains were safe.

Communicating in English

Another thing that surprised me was the E.S.L. status of Italy. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I would often struggle to communicate in English. I foolishly expected Italians to resemble the Italian immigrants I encountered in Canada who, despite some thick accents, all converse well in English. Not so. To be fair, it didn’t create any disastrous miscommunications. Most Italians speak some English. Ultimately, the relative scarcity of English was simply a good incentive to pick up Italian idioms beyond “Mamma mia!”, “Ciao!” And “Grazie!”. Italian is truly a charming tongue —though I wouldn’t say Italians typically speak quietly.

Drugs

100% LEGAL!

One particularly pleasant surprise was the fact that marijuana (medical cannabis) is completely legal in Italy. After a few days of regularly seeing advertisements of weed-dealers, in the form of cheap stickers on bus seats (which we initially thought was rather dumb), we found ourselves at the door of a legit dispensary shop, downtown Sorrento. Without so much as a formal doctor’s note or membership card, we were able to purchase some edibles and a few grams of moderately-smelly buds. That said, the quality was nothing compared to what I’ve experienced in Vancouver or Amsterdam, and it was quite expensive ($22-26 USD a gram)—so I probably would have preferred to buy it on the streets. The old-fashioned approach.

Art, art, and more art

To conclude, these are only some of the ways that Italy can surprise you. Given that it’s the birthplace of all four Ninja Turtles aliases (Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, and of course Leonardo Da Vinci), including countless other artists, it shouldn’t surprise anyone how prevalent Hiphop graffiti is on the streets. It’s little wonder that Rome is often described as an outdoor museum —that just happens to be a city. If, for no other reason, the graffiti street art is a reason itself to visit. You could also justify a trip for no other reason than to eat pasta, or sip Limoncello (lemon liquor).

DSCF2717 Perhaps, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I was eventually pick-pocketed, as the signs warned me, again and again…it is what it is. Though Mark Twain once remarked, “The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo”, if you plan to visit you can also expect to donate a fortune to public toilets and taxi-drivers, smoke legal marijuana and possibly get pick-pocketed. I suppose you have to “Take it or leave it”. The Italian equivalent of that phrase is, “O mangiar questa minestra o saltar questa finestra”.