Written by Arianna Posega.
Mid-July I took a plane to Rome, Italy with two friends for a little getaway after finishing our college exams. I've been to Italy quite a few times since it's extremely close to my country, Slovenia - the two bord together and it only takes half an hour to pass the boarder and be in Italy for us. Consequently, I've been lucky enough to visit and explore a lot of Italian cities, mostly the ones located in the northern part, but some central ones as well. Italy is a beautiful country full of historical worth, delicious cuisine, breath-taking beaches and cities, but how are the people? Italians have a lot of stereotypes around them and I think I don't even have to mention some to use as an example. But at the end of the day doesn’t ever nation have stereotypes about them, whether good or bad, everyone has some virtue or imperfection that characterizes them.
Traveling is all about wandering through the streets of an unknown city, tasting new traditional dishes that include flavours that aren’t present in your cuisine and about diving into a completely different culture from your own. The beauty of traveling is hidden in the yet unknown – the adrenaline you get when you’re holding your city map and you are almost sure you’re on the right road to get to your destination and finally see the church or square you’ve been looking for, the uncertainty of the taste of a dish and the first bite into a yet undiscovered flavour and in listening to the locals speak in a foreign language. Yet, traveling has a lot to do with people. You get to meet so many new individuals during any of your travels. Whether it is your taxi driver or the person sitting next to you on the plane or the waiter at the restaurant you stopped at for a quick meal before staring the exploration of the city. Traveling connects you with lots of people, sometimes without you even noticing.
Rome and its locals filled my heart with joy and gratitude. Everyone I approached to ask for directions, all the waiters and people I’ve talked to were extremely nice to me. Ready to help and smile at you when you said “bye” and walked away. Not only Rome is filled with history and good food, but with extraordinary people as well. If you end up in Rome I assure you’ll be surrounded by loving locals. The way you get treated in the city you’re visiting definitely makes an impact on how you’ll feel in that city. If the locals are mean, too busy to answer your question (which is totally understandable in some cases, don’t get me wrong) and just overall disinterested in what you’re saying, you won’t enjoy and fall in love with the city as much as you could have. The locals make the city, without them its essence is gone – they fill the city with laughs, love and scents. They fill the streets with their words. They are the life of the city.
So, thank you Rome and thank you to all the locals I’ve encountered for making me feel so welcomed and I might as well say at home in your city.
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