Gelato Tour

Part of being in Rome during the summer time a nice refreshment is much needed in the hot weather. Gelato is the perfect snack that will cool down anyone who is feeling over heated. I am going to map out a tour of five gelati places that on can access from various points around Rome!

My tour begins at a gelato shop on Via del Corso (name will be added). Once we leave () you will make a right back onto Via del Corso. Once you come to the end of the street you will want to make a right onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele. You will walk down all the way to the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and on your right is the second stop at the gelato place (name will be added). After enjoying a nice gelato you will make a left out onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele again and walk down until you see Via dei Baullari on the right. Via dei Baullari will lead you to Campo de' Fiori. Once you get into Campo de' Fiori you will find Via dei Baullari continued across the way. On Via dei Baullari is a gelati place, Blue Ice, which is a chain throughout Rome. Once you are standing facing Blue Ice we will continue going to the left, straight across the piazza square of Campo de' Fiori continueing on Via dei Baullari. Once getting to the end of the street, you will take a right onto Corso Vittoria Emanuele II. You will cross over to the other side of the street and take a quick left onto Corso del Rinascimento.

Once you take a left you will want to keep an eye out for V. dei Canestrari on your left hand side. Taking a left will lead you to Piazza Navona which will be on your right hand side. This left will take you to the one end of the Piazza. If you walk straight through the piazza all the way to the other end you will find a gelato shop Cafe Mariotti. After tasting the yummy gelato of your choice you can make your way back to the Corso del Rinascimento and take a left. Once you have taken a left onto this street you will want to keep an eye open for a right turn onto Via Giustiniani which will lead you to the Pantheon or Piazza della Rotonda. Once you enter into the Piazza you will see side streets to your left that will lead you to the street V.D. Colonnelle. V.D. Colonnelle offers a gelato place called San Crispino on the right hand side. Upon entering San Crispino on the right you will see a chalk board with flavors that "marry well" meaning that those flavors go well together. San Crispino does not offer visual sight of each flavor, instead keeping them in covered metal bins in the window. Once enjoying a nice gelato you will move back out onto V.D. Colonnelle making a right. Make a left onto V. del Collegio Capranica. Once rounding a corner you will then want to make a right onto a side street called Guardiola. At the end of this street you will make a right onto Via D. Uffici D. Vicario.

Finally, Giolitti will be on your right hand side where you can try the famous gelato that is talked up by most. I have been to Giolitti before and it was very good. You first pay for the gelato and then you go up and order your flavors! This tour is filled with gelati places that all offer great flavors. I chose this tour because I love gelato. Almost every flavor I have tried offers a true flavor and is a great refreshment. I hope everyone has the chance to try these gelato places as I have over the past five weeks!

Botanical Gardens

Last week a group of us went to the Botanical Gardens to take a look around. The Botanical Gardens are located in Trestevere. The gardens were beautiful and offered so many different kinds of plant species! There are about 7,000 plant species located in the Botanical Gardens of Rome. These plant species are from around the world. The Botanical Gardens also consist of a main fountain called Fontana dei Tritoni which is located almost in the center of the entire garden and is surrounded by benches and a lush green field with plam trees.

One of my favorite parts of the garden was the bamboo which was extremely tall Upon entering the gardens you are given a map that tell you the general area and location of plants. The map is not overwhelming in the least bit. There are only, at the most 15 marked areas of plants even though the Garden holds thousands of plant species. The neat thing about the Botanical Gardens is that there are views of the city of Rome throughout the walk and you have the option of actually walk through some of the gardens. I was able to walk through the bamboo by a path that was created to do so. I would recommend making a stop at the Botanical Gardens if you get a chance to do so. The price was about 4 euro per person.

Boys Town

Boys town is an orphanage and was founded in 1951 which hosts a home for boys who have no families to return to or to support them. Boys town is a town of boys who has a president and adults around to keep an eye and help them. On Friday, our class as well as another class visited Boys Town. We had met a boy who was 9 years old, who had been there for about one month. The ages of the boys range from about 9 years to 21 years of age. The boys get schooling while they stay in Boys Town. We had also met the mayor of Boys Town, which change every two months. He was 17 years of age and had been in Boys Town for two years.

The town was very nice filled with buildings, a church, kitchen, trees, and art that the boys have done recently and in previous years. Boys Town is a wonderful place where boys who have little or no support from their parents and/or family can earn an education, gain leadership roles, grow up and live and meet others who are in similar situations as they are in. The boys we had met seemed extremely happy to be able to have the opportunity to live in Boys Town and begin the process to one day be on their own.

*For more information on Boys and Girls Town please visit the following site:

www.boystownofitaly.org

Roseto Comunale

Roseta Comunale is a beautiful rose garden filled with different colored and kinds of roses. This rose garden is located in Aventine, Italy. Roseta Comunale is located on Viale del Circo Massimo which is walking distance to the Palatine Hill, which is visible while in the gardens. This rose garden was once a Jewish cemetery and its path ways are situated in the the shape of a Menorah. While walking through the rose garden I had not noticed the shape I was walking in however they did have a sign to tell a little history about the wonderful gardens.

The Roseta Comunale was peaceful and colorful. Roseta Comunale was quiet and just offered the sound of others talking and snapping pictures. There were a variety of colored roses that stood alone so they were easy to notice and walk around. The rose garden had a fresh smell due to the surroundings of trees and flowers. You really couldn't smell the roses all that much until you walked up to each one. Next to the roses, it provided the name of the type of rose you had been looking at. There were so many roses that jumped out in color and size it was hard to go in order around the garden. Roseta Comunale was extremely clean with only the sight of the walkways and roses. It took about a half hour to forty minutes to walk around the entire rose garden and was free of charge. I would recommend this site to anyone due to the beautiful sights and a place to get away from the loud noises of the city.

If you would like to find out more about this gorgeous rose garden please visit the following site:

"“Time Brings Roses”." Time Brings Roses. 04 June 2009 .

Castel Sant' Angelo

Today Sam and I had gone to Castel Sant' Angelo and walked through the historic site. The castle was finished and began it's roles in AD 139. Upon walking up the the castle it was massive and included a fortress. Castel Sant' Angelo has been used for a medieval prison, city wall, and a residence of many popes.

Castel Sant' Angelo offered museums inside that consisted of many paintings and artifacts, such as clothing, instruments and a baby carraige. Once you get to the top of the castle, you will find an excellent view looking over the city of Rome and to your right, once at the top of the stairs, you will see the Vatican and St. Peter's Dome. The views were magnificent inside and out. It cost 8 euros to go into the castle and it was worth it.



Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003.

Milvian Bridge

Rome offers bridges throughout the city to cross over the Tiber River but the Ponte Milvio Bridge, also known as the Milvian Bridge offers more than just a pathway to the other side. The other day a group of us had gone to Rome's Milvian Bridge. The Milvian Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in Rome that was built in 206 B.C. Italy's citizens as well as tourists visit this bridge to resemble their love.

The walk was far and the look of the bridge is a little unsightly but the fairytale of this bridge was worth it. This bridge is aligned with locks and graffiti that state love quotes or sayings along the sides. The bridge is filled with padlocks on various chains located along the bridge that represent everlasting love. It is said that couples are to bring a padlock, can be written on and any size, lock it to one of the chains and toss the spare key to the lock into the Tiber River. If you would like to learn more about the bridge please visit the following site:

Mivian Bridge link